Crest of Pokemon
by PallyStar
Summary: Ash was newly initiated into the ranks of the Oak Mercenaries. As political turmoil starts to stir between the nations of Kanto and Hoenn, Ash must lead a ragtag band of mercenaries and end this conflict before the world plunges into chaos. Advanceshippy
1. Ch 1: Novice to Mercenary

_This is probably going to be my first epic Pokemon story. It's somewhat a crossover of Pokemon and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. I hope you'll all like it! Enjoy!_

_Pokemon will be introduced later in the story, other pairings will also be introduced later in the story. _

**Crest of Pokemon  
**

The sun shown brightly in the sky as the new day was greeted upon the sleeping mercenary fort. Ash put a hand in front of his face as the rays of the sun shown into his room. He got up and dressed in his usual battle attire which consisted of a blue leather tunic, a dark red cape, a pair of black pants, a pair of leather boots, a pair of lightly plated gloves, and to top it all off a dark blue headband. After he got dressed he picked up the wooden training sword in the corner of his room and headed outside.

Ash was a mercenary in training. He wasn't ready to become a full-ready mercenary yet, but today he plans on completing his training and become a true member of the Oak Mercenaries. He ventured to the training ground, hidden in a forest behind the mercenary fort. He looked around himself for a brief moment and took a deep breath, breathing in the fresh morning air.

He then looked over in the direction of the practice dummy that was set up there. With a smirk, he gripped tightly on to his training sword and charged at the dummy, executing a powerful strike. He then continues doing several other strikes after his charge. Unknown to him though, someone was watching him behind the trees. Ash continued training until he heard a voice call out to him from behind the trees, "Well, training again now Ash?" Ash looked behind himself at the direction of the voice and noticed that it was Gary, his long time friend and rival. Gary stepped out into the open training grounds. Ash stood up and looked at Gary, "Gary? What are you doing out here?" Gary gave Ash a smirk, "Just thought I'd get some training done too." Gary put his training sword on his shoulder and walked up to Ash, "Hey, how about we spar with each other?" Ash thought for a moment and than gave a challenging grin at Gary, "Sounds good to me! Get ready to lose!"

Ash got into a ready stance and charged at Gary without warning. Gary anticipated Ash's attack and parried it with his training sword. Ash did another strike, but Gary dodged it and did a sweep on the ground, making Ash fall. "What's the matter Ash? Lose your footing?" Gary taunted Ash. Ash quickly got up, "I'll get you for that!" He shouted back at Gary and ran at him again, executing another strong attack. Gary quickly stepped to the side, evading the attack and prepared to do a counter attack when Ash quickly thrusted his sword at Gary. Gary quickly stepped back and blocked a few more onslaughts by Ash. Gary then jumped back to gather some momentum and then charged at Ash. Both of them attacked each other at once, going into a dead lock. They both pushed fiercely at each other for a bit, but Gary received the upper hand and pushed Ash back. Ash fell to the ground from Gary's push. Gary was about to make another taunt at Ash when all of a sudden he heard someone calling. "Ash!" Both of them heard and looked in the direction of the voice, seeing Misty run to them. "Well, look it's Misty. Came to see me win did ya?" Gary said while flicking his hair to the side at her. Ash took this opportunity to attack Gary and did a sneak attack at him. Gary heard Ash's lunge and stepped to the side, making Ash fall forward, and quickly hit Ash on the back with his sword, making Ash fall to the ground, blacking out. Misty ran up to Ash, "Ash? Are you alright?" She asked him. Seeing him not move at all she became worried and shook him, "Ash? Ash! Ash!" She tried calling out to him, but no answer.

"_Leave now!" _A dark figure stood at the doorway of a burning house and fought some invaders trying to get in. _"I said get out of here! Now!" _The figure continued to yell back at the woman holding a young child. _"But what about you? I won't leave here without you!" _The woman yelled back at the man, still holding her child. The man fought down more enemies and pushed her towards the doorway, leading her out, _"Delia… please, escape so Ash could have a good future… I don't want him to live in this age of chaos…Take him far away from here, as far as you can." _The man pleaded. Delia looked down at Ash, who was sleeping silently in her arms, as a tear fell from her eye, _"Okay… I will go… just please promise me you'll make it out alive." _She looked away as another tear escaped from her eyes. The man gave her a reassuring hug, _"Don't worry, I'll be fine." _With those words, he let go and rushed back to the battlefield.

Ash quickly awoke from his dream. He breathed in and out slowly, trying to regain his breath from that dream. "That dream again…" Ash put a hand on his forehead and sighed. He stood up from the bed he was lying on and was about to head on outside again, when Misty came in. "Oh hi Ash. Glad to see that you're awake." Ash looked at her and smiled, "Thanks for taking care of me Misty." Misty smiled at him. "You can count on me anytime. Oh, your mother said breakfast was ready." Ash's face lit up at that word, "Oh boy! I'm starving!" With that he sped out of the room and ran towards the kitchen.

Delia was humming as she was washing the dishes. It was about noon now, all the mercenaries have eaten already, she was wondering when Ash will wake up and come down to eat. Before she could continue her thoughts, she heard someone enter the kitchen. "Good morning mom!" Ash greeted her as he came into the kitchen. She looked at him and smiles, "Good morning Ash. Did you sleep well?" Ash nodded as he slumped down on the chair and started to eat his breakfast, "Yeah I did, I decided to wake up early today and start some training. Gary came along and then we practiced on each other… I lost though…" Ash sighed as he stuck a piece of venison in his mouth. Delia gave a slight chuckle, "You should be more careful next time young man." She told him. "Don't worry mom, I'll be sure to beat him next time!" Ash exclaimed with a mouthful of food in his mouth. He took a big gulp of water to drown down all the food in his mouth and gave a sigh of satisfaction, "So, where is everyone anyway?" he asked her, wondering where everyone was. "Everyone ate already, it's late noon you now." Delia replied, continuing to wash the dishes. Ash gasped wide-eyed, "I was knocked out for seven hours!?" Delia nodded at him, slightly giggling at his irresponsibility, "Oh no! I forgot all about Oak! Later mom thanks for the breakfast!" Ash quickly ran out the kitchen. Delia gave a small sigh, "He acts a lot like his father some times…"

Ash rushed out of the mercenary fort and headed for the hill where Oak told him to go to the day before. Oak is one of the great sages in all the land, unlike most sages though, he was also an accomplished swordsman. He was the one who taught Ash how to wield a sword when Ash came of age. He also taught Gary, though Gary rather trains by himself than being mentored by his own grandfather.

Ash finally came to the top of the hill and panted once he saw Oak, "Sorry I was late Oak. I was knocked out for a few hours!" Ash exclaimed flailing his arms around. Oak laughed at his behavior, "Late as always aren't ya Ash?" Oak let out another chuckle. Ash gave him a playful glare, "I'll show you what I got Oak!" Ash was about to pull the wooden sword out from his belt, but then realized he didn't take it with him. "Oh…oops…I think I left my sword back at the fort…" Oak sighed at his student's blunder. "It's a good thing I came prepared Ash." Oak threw him an extra training sword that he had with him. Ash caught the sword by the hilt and then got into a ready stance, "Now I'll show you all I got Oak!" Ash charged at Oak attempting to execute an attack on him. Oak took out his own training sword and swiftly blocked Ash's attack. Ash push forward, trying to over power Oak, but then Oak pushed Ash back which made Ash lose his balance a bit. "You need to charge more aggressively Ash." Oak told him. Ash once again charged at Oak and did a series of strikes at Oak. Oak quickly parried each of the attacks and pushed back Ash again. Ash lost his balance this time and fell down. "Well Ash, let's see you get out of this one!" Oak yelled as he quickly ran at Ash at an incredible speed. Ash quickly held up his sword, attempting to block the attack that Oak was going to throw at him. Oak was about to land a blow on Ash, when all of a sudden he heard someone yelling. "Oak! I got the saké you asked for!" Oak stopped before hitting Ash and looked in the direction of the voice.

"Ah Brock, glad you made it." Oak smiled as Brock ran up to him with a bottle of saké in hand. "Oh hey there Ash, what you doing on the ground all scared?" Brock greeted Ash seeing him on the ground shaking and gripping on to his sword tightly. Ash realized that Oak wasn't attacking him anymore and looked up, "Oh hey there Brock! Oak was teaching me some things," Ash stood back up, "So what are you doing here?" Brock smiled at Ash, "Oak told me to go get this bottle of sake earlier, I'm not sure why though." Oak noticed the two talking happily amongst each other and then received an idea, "I know! How about you two spar with each other." Oak announced, making the two boys look up at him. "Wait, we spar with each other?" Ash looked up at Oak questioningly, "Yes Ash, I want to see how you will fare against someone around your level." Oak replied looking over at Brock. "I'll accept the challenge though I'm not too sure about this 'around your level' thing." Brock said while taking out the wooden club he had with him.

Ash got into a ready stance, gripping on to his wooden sword, "We'll see about that Brock!" Ash yelled and then charged at Brock. Brock stood his ground and blocked the attack that Ash threw at him. Brock then jumped back and charged at Ash. Once Brock was in range he brought down his club at Ash. Ash quickly dodged the attack and ran around Brock, attempting to attack him from behind. Brock saw this and spun around and blocked the attack. Ash saw this opportunity and quickly dropped to the ground, making a sweep, knocking Brock off his feet. Ash then pointed his wooden sword at Brock's face showing him that he had won. "I got ya Brock!" Ash yelled happily as he raised his fist in the air. "I gotta say that was some impressive work out there Ash." Oak said as he approached the two. Brock got up and dusted off his pants, "Ash just got lucky that time that's all." Brock said in a defeated way. He then looked back at Ash, "But that was some good work though Ash." Brock said. Ash then looked over at Oak, "Do you think I'm ready now Oak?" Oak thought for a moment, "Well, you were able to defeat a full-time mercenary…" Oak thought for a bit more, "Welcome to the Oak Mercenaries Ash." Oak said smiling at Ash. Ash cheered throwing his fist in the air, "Awesome!" he yelled happily, now knowing that he can fight with the group. Oak then popped open the bottle of saké and poured some into three cups. "Let's drink to Ash's initiation into the group!" Oak cheered as he held his cup high, Ash and Brock also joined in and the three clapped their cups together. This was the start of a new adventure for all of the Oak Mercenaries, with their newly initiated member, Ash.

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So how'd you all like the first chapter? Review please! 


	2. Ch 2: Life of a Mercenary

_Second chapter ready! Oh, I forgot to put some info on the characters in the last chapter, so I decided to put them on this chapter. For every new character introduced in a chapter, I will list them here at the top and put in their class and age._ _Enjoy!_

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Fire Emblem

* * *

**Ash**

Class: Ranger

Age: 16

**Brock**

Class: Fighter

Age: 21

**Oak**

Class: Arch-Sage

Age: 56

**Gary**

Class: Myrmidon

Age: 18

**Misty**

Class: Cleric

Age: 18

**Delia**

Class: Priest

Age: 35

**Lance**

Class: Swordmaster

Age: 37

**Tracey**

Class: Archer

Age: 21

* * *

**Crest of Pokemon**

Ash sat in the mess hall alone, eating quietly. He was in deep thought, about how his life was about to change now that he finally joined the ranks of the Oak Mercenaries.

There were many things Ash wanted in life, to become the greatest swordsman the world has ever seen, to become as powerful as his mentor Oak, but most important of all, he wanted to know one thing. Who was his father?

That question rang in his head ever since he asked his mother about it. Every time he would ask her, she would just say, "Your father… was a great man… all he ever wanted was for you to be happy…" and after that she would break into tears.

He continued thinking, while eating his breakfast when all of a sudden Brock came into the mess hall. "Morning Ash." Brock greeted him while yawning a bit. "Morning Brock." Ash replied to him. Brock took a seat right next to Ash, "So Ash, you ready for your first mission?" Brock asked him while helping himself to something to eat.

Ash looked down at the table, "I guess I am… I barely got any sleep last night." Brock nodded at him and took a bit out of a chicken leg, "I was like that when I was getting ready for my first mission. I could barely sleep the night before." Ash looked up out the window, "I guess this is what they call, 'Calm before the storm'…" Ash took another bite from his food, hoping to fill himself up with energy so he could perform well.

The two continued to eat for a while, both deep in thought about their upcoming mission. Ash looked up at Brock and was about to ask him for some tips when he heard someone enter. He looked in the direction of the door and noticed Misty. "Oh, good morning Misty." Misty looked over at him and smiled, "Good morning Ash, did you sleep well?" Ash shook his head, "I didn't sleep too well… I guess I'm somewhat excited about the mission today."

Misty walked over to the table where Ash and Brock were sitting and sat down, "It's a natural feeling really, as mercenaries we fight until our last breath, and getting injured is something that is almost inescapable," She picked up an apple and took a bite out of it, "That's why you have me out there. So don't worry about getting hurt, I'll mend your wounds back to full health." She told Ash reassuringly. Ash nodded at her and smiled, "Thank you Misty."

The three of them then continued to talk to each other, Brock and Misty telling Ash about their experiences on the field and how Ash should prepare himself in different situations, like dealing with more than one enemy, or what to do when shelter is no where to be found. Ash took mental notes about all the things that Brock and Misty were telling him. He took a deep sigh, realizing that there was more to being a mercenary than he thought. Not only did he have to know how to fight, but he also had to know how to survive out there in the wild.

The conversation went on for a bit longer until Oak came into the room, "Good morning everyone. Did you all sleep well?" Ash gave out a small yawn while Brock sighed at him and Misty giggled a bit. "Well, Brock and I did, but Ash here didn't have such a good sleep." Misty giggled. Oak smiled and went over to Ash, patting him on the back, "Don't worry Ash, it'll take some time to get use to, but once you get the hang of it it's nothing really." Oak said to Ash. Ash looked up at Oak and smiled at him, "Thanks Oak." Oak then sat down along with the rest of the three.

Ash looked up at Oak, "So Oak, what's our mission today?" Oak let out a small chuckle, "Anxious aren't you Ash?" Ash nodded at him, with a fire burning in his eyes, "I want to prove myself that I really am of use to this group!" Ash said with confidence. Oak let out another chuckle. "I'll go over the briefing once the other person gets here." Ash looked at Oak a little confused, "What other person?" Ash asked him. Oak looked up at Ash, "You'll see."

Just then, someone stepped into the mess hall. Ash looked over at the door way and his eyes widened, "Lance!? You mean you're going to come with us on this mission?" Lance gave Ash a sparkling grin, "Of course Ash, I'm going to be the one to show you the ropes today." Ash gave a cheer and threw his fist in the air, "Alright! I get to fight alongside Kanto's finest!" Lance was a member of the Kanto Royal Guard. He resigned because Oak saved him from a near-death experience one day and decided to join up with the Oak Mercenaries to repay the debt.

Lance walked over to the table and sat down along with Ash, Misty, and Brock. Oak then stood up and cleared his voice, "Now, let's go over our mission. There have been sightings of a group known as the Rocket Mercenaries terrorizing the countryside. A nearby fishing village has requested our aid, saying that they have been overrun by the Rocket Mercenaries." Oak looked at the rest of the group, "Lance will be the unit leader, I wish the four of you the best of luck." With that, Ash, Misty, Brock and Lance stood up and left the room and proceeded towards the fishing village.

* * *

The four traveled for a bit until they caught sight of the fishing village. Lance looked at the village, scanning for any sight of the Rocket Mercenaries, "Hmm, I can't see very well from here," Lance looked back at the three, "The three of you stay here, I'm going in for a closer look, don't do anything until I come back." With that, Lance took off towards the village. The three of them sat down, resting a bit. "Do you think the Rocket Mercenaries really took over this village?" Ash asked. Misty looked over at the village in the distance, "I'm not sure, this is actually the first time I heard of them, I'm not a hundred percent sure about their strength either." Misty said. Brock sat silent for a bit, "They are a fairly formidable bunch from what I remember," Ash and Misty turned their attention to Brock, "Though I don't know anything about them taking over whole villages, most of the encounters I had with them were just small skirmishes." Brock said, staring at the ground. 

Ash shook a bit, hearing Brock's story, Ash felt a slight chill go up his spine. His first mission was against a tough opponent, he knew he had to be a little more careful here. He looked over in the direction of the village, wondering when Lance will get back. Lance was gone longer than he thought. Ash started to worry a bit, now that he knew a little bit more about the enemy he was about to face. He didn't know if Lance made it out or not. Before he could resume his thoughts, Lance came back to where Ash, Mist, and Brock were.

"Lance. Are you alright?" Ash asked as he saw Lance walking back. Lance looked over at Ash, "Yeah, I'm okay, I was lucky that none of them spotted me," He took a deep breath and looked at the rest of the three, "The Rocket Mercenaries have overrun the whole place, this will be a hard and enduring battle," Lance shifted his gaze to Ash, "Especially for a new recruit like you Ash." Ash smirked, "Don't worry about me! I'll do just fine out there." Ash replied confidently. Lance smiled, noticing Ash's determination, "Good, let's move in."

The four of them moved closer to the village, standing just close enough so that the Rocket Mercenaries wouldn't spot them. "Okay, this is the plan. I will go in first and distract as many of them as possible. Brock, you'll move in then and attack them from behind. Ash, I want you to go see if there are any villagers around, try and round them up and get them to safety. Misty I want you to go with Ash incase he gets in trouble." Lance ordered the group. The three of them nodded at the tasks given to them. "Okay, let's go then." Lance drew his sword and walked toward the village.

Lance walked into the local tavern of the village. All of the people inside looked at him. One of them stood up and walked over to Lance, "Hey, no visitors aloud, this is Rocket territory now-" before the man could finish his sentence Lance kicked him away and the man fell back, knocking over two other people. The man then got back up, "So, you come here looking for a fight ehh?" The man took out his axe and raised it in the air, "Glory to the Rocket Mercenaries!" He yelled and then ran at Lance, along with everyone else in the tavern. Lance grinned and then ran out of the tavern.

Once Lance got outside, he noticed that all of the Rocket Mercenaries were called out of their quarters at this point. He grinned and stood his ground, as one by one, the Rocket Mercenaries surrounded him. "So, it seems we have an intruder." One of the Rocket Mercenaries said, and walked closer to Lance. Lance looked at him and grinned, "I'd watch your back if I were you." The man quirked his brow, and then heard the sound of the other Rocket Mercenaries screaming. He looked behind himself and saw Brock, hacking away at the Rocket Mercenaries with his axe. Before the man could do anything else Lance stabbed him with his sword and knocked him away. Lance gave the thumbs up to Brock and the two of them continued fighting off the Rocket Mercenaries.

Meanwhile, Ash and Misty were running around the village as Lance and Brock were taking them on. "Where would they keep the villagers, I don't even see a single person in sight." Ash muttered as he searched household after household. The two of them kept on searching until they came upon a warehouse, "We haven't checked here yet, maybe they're inside." Misty suggested. Ash nodded at her and they opened the door to the warehouse. Sure enough, the villagers were tied up inside the warehouse.

Ash gasped at the amount of people trapped within the warehouse, he didn't know how they did it, but some how the Rocket Mercenaries were able to hold all of the villagers inside the warehouse. He and Misty began to untie the ropes that bound the villagers. "Thank you so much, you're the mercenaries that we called for right?" A villager asked as Ash was untying her binds, "Yeah, we're the Oak Mercenaries, how long have you all been kept here?" Ash asked the woman, "About two days now, the Rocket Mercenaries have been coming here often, pushing us around, then one day they just decided to lock us all up in here and before we knew it, they occupied our whole village." The woman said.

Ash looked at all the people, seeing expressions of hope in their faces once he and Misty came. He had this good feeling in him, helping out people in need. He quickly scanned the room again, "Looks like that's all of them." Ash said looking over at Misty. Misty nodded at him, "Let's get them out of here, we need to lead them somewhere safe until Brock and Lance can hold them off." Ash and Misty lead the villagers out of the warehouse. They were about to head out of the village, until a mysterious cloaked figure approached them. "Ah, it seems that we have some more intruders." The cloaked figure said. Ash stepped up towards him, "Who are you? Are you one of the Rocket Mercenaries?" Ash asked him. The cloaked man let out an evil laugh, "And what if I am?"

Ash glared at him, "Why did you come here and kick these people out of their homes? What did they ever do to you?" Ash yelled at him, with anger in his voice. "Well, we get bored at times, so we need to find some ways of entertainment." The man just shrugged. Ash gritted his teeth and drew out his sword from it's sheathe. "I will make you pay for hurting these people!" Ash charged at the man and he quickly dodged it, quickly removing his cloak. Ash cut up the cloak instead and the man gave Ash a swift kick to the back, knocking him down. The man took out his sword from his sheathe, "My name's Cadmined, though it's no use telling you now, as you'll be dead soon." Cadmined jumped up in the air and shot down at Ash, about to thrust his sword through Ash's body. Ash quickly sensed this and rolled out of the way, making Cadmined's sword get stuck to the ground. Ash quickly got up and charged at Cadmined again. Cadmined quickly pulled his sword out of the ground and blocked Ash's attack.

'He's strong.' Ash thought as they were exchanging blows. Ash quickly dodged an attack by Cadmined and thrust his sword forward. Cadmined dodged the attack and then kicked Ash, making him fall to the ground. Cadmined then grabbed Ash by his collar and lifted him up, "You should think twice before attacking me boy." He said, holding Ash high in the air. Ash was too injured to be able to struggle, 'Looks like this is it…' Ash thought to himself, and prepared for the worse. Just then Misty threw a rock at Cadmined, making him drop Ash. "Leave him alone!" Misty yelled at Cadmined and threw another rock at him. He quickly knocked the rock away with his hand, "So you wish to play too?" He started to walk towards Misty, with murderous intent in his voice. Misty backed up a bit with fear. Cadmined then ran at Misty and grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up, "Prepare to die little girl." Cadmined hissed. Misty screamed for help. Ash tried to get back up, "Misty…no…" He then summoned enough strength to get back up and ran towards Cadmined, thrusting his sword right through Cadmined. Cadmined's eyes widened at the pain, and he dropped Misty and fell to the ground, "No…this can't be… me… defeated by a… little boy…" He dropped to the ground lifeless.

Ash breathed heavily for a bit, realizing what he did, "No…I…I…" Ash fell to his knees and started coughing hard. Misty rushed to his side, "Ash! Are you alright?" Misty tried to comfort him. He still continued to cough hard though. A Rocket Mercenary then stepped out into the open, "No… you killed Lord Cadmined! You will die for this!" With that, he charged at Ash and Misty, raising his spear high in the air. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks as an arrow hit him right in the throat and he fell down dead. Misty looked over in the direction of the arrow and saw Tracey. "Tracey! Since when did you come?" Tracey stepped down from the hill he was on, "I got here as soon as I could, Oak told me that you guys might need some back up so he sent me." Tracey replied. Tracey walked towards Ash and Misty and then noticed Ash's position. "What's wrong with him?"

Misty looked at the ground, "I think he's just shocked…that he killed someone." Misty said quietly. Tracey looked at him, "Let's take him to Lance, he'll know what to do." Tracey put Ash's arm around his neck and walked Ash back towards where Lance and Brock were. Misty looked back at the rest of the villagers, "Let's go all of you, I think your village should be clear now."

* * *

Ash slowly opened up his eyes. He looked around for a bit. "Where…where am I…" he muttered quietly. "I'm glad you're awake Ash." Ash looked up, seeing Delia sitting right next to his bed. Ash sat up, "Mom? What happened to Lance, Misty and Brock? What became of our mission? Is the village okay?" Ash bombarded Delia with questions. "Just rest now Ash, everything's taken care of." Delia slowly pushed Ash back down on the bed. "The mission was a success, it seems that after you killed that man, Cadmined I think it was, you passed out. Lance had to carry you all the way back here." 

Ash looked away, slightly embarrassed, "Man… I can't believe I passed out on my first mission… They probably won't let me go on another one again…" Ash sighed sadly. "Don't worry about it Ash, everyone gets that effect, you don't know what it's like to kill someone, it must've felt horrible." Delia said to him. Ash nodded, "I… I felt terrible after I did that… do all mercenaries go through this?" Ash wondered. Delia nodded at him, "Your father… he went through it… when he took his first life he kept on having nightmares… over the years though he got use to it, as it was his job." Delia said sadly.

Back at the village, Oak decided to go back there to help clean up the mess that was caused there. He helped out the villagers with disposing of the corpses and repairing what was damaged during the battle. When he stumbled across Cadmined's corpse, he noticed something strange on Cadmined's tunic. Oak took a closer look at it, "What… that's…that's the Kanto Royal Seal… does that mean…" Oak looked out in the distance, thinking of the chaos that might ensue at this new discovery.

* * *

Chapter 2 done! Sorry if there was some Pokeshipping in it. This fanfic is still going to be Advanceshipping though, May will be introduced a little later in the story. Read and review please :) 


	3. Ch 3: Princess Hoenn

_Finally going to introduce May in this chapter! Hope you all enjoy :)_

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or Fire Emblem

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**  
**

**May**

Class: Princess Hoenn

Age: 15

**Crest of Pokemon**

It was raining heavily upon the mercenary fort. Delia was sitting beside Ash, as he lay asleep in bed, staring outside the window watching the tiny droplets of rainfall. She looked down at his angelic face as he slept peacefully. "Oh Ash…" she whispered softly as she closed her eyes, thinking about what happened earlier:

* * *

_"Bring him in quick!" Lance yelled as Brock and Tracy carried in an unconscious Ash into the fort. Delia looked up from her cooking and gasped as she saw Ash. "What happened to him!?" She cried shockingly as she noticed his condition. Misty walked over to Delia, "He's just unconscious, that's all… it must be from shock because he killed someone." Misty replied. Delia watched as Brock and Tracy brought Ash up to his bedroom._

_She went upstairs shortly after to check on him. Oak was already in Ash's bedroom, sitting beside him. "Oak! How could you do this? How could you send Ash on such a dangerous mission!?" She yelled at Oak. Oak slowly turned around and gazed at Delia, "Don't worry about Ash, he'll be alright, he's sleeping now." Delia still couldn't control her anger and yelled at him again, "He could've gotten hurt!" Oak stood up and walked over to Delia, "He wanted to do this, it was his choice." Oak replied. "It doesn't mean that you should just go ahead and send him on a mission like that!" Delia yelled again._

_Oak sighed, "Delia… I know how you feel… Ash… he's a very kind person, he never wanted to kill anyone… though I'm sure somewhere deep in his heart, he knew that no matter what, blood will be shed because he's a mercenary." Oak looked into Delia's eyes, "I sent him on this mission because he wanted to, and also because I want him to gain some experience in the field… I want him to become the future of this company." Delia widened her eyes in shock, "What do you mean… by future?" _

_Oak continued to look into her eyes. "I want him to lead this company once I'm gone." Oak said. Delia looked away, "But… why can't your own grandson Gary do that." She stated more than asked. "Gary…he's a good soldier… but he lacks the qualities that a good leader should have." Oak said sighing. "You see, Gary just wants to become stronger and stronger, and he'll do anything to accomplish that, Ash on the other hand, wants to become stronger too, but he also doesn't want to let his team mates down. I saw that in him when I first found you two lost in the forest." Oak said looking at Delia. _

_Delia continued to stare at the ground, remembering the day that Oak took her and Ash in when they escaped their village. "As he grew up, I could sense that more in him, his kind and caring personality. That is why I want him to lead the company once I'm gone." Oak said trying to reassure Delia a bit. Delia thought for a moment than nodded, "Okay… I'll trust you on that Oak…"_

* * *

She looked out the window again, wondering how many years it has been since she and Ash have been with the Oak Mercenaries. She looked down at Ash again, noticing that he was starting to wake up, "Good morning Ash." She greeted him as he opened his eyes. 

"Morning mom." Ash sat up and yawned, stretching out, "Why aren't you downstairs making breakfast?" He asked her. Delia looked into his eyes, "I was worried about you… about what happened yesterday." Ash looked down at the ground, remembering the events that occurred yesterday. "I'm…I'm sorry I made you worry mom… I won't do it again, you can count on that!" Ash said as he stood up from his bed holding his fist over his heart. Delia looked at him and smiled, 'Maybe Oak was right.' Delia thought to herself.

Ash took a step outside and looked up at the sky, noticing the change in weather, "Wow, it sure cleared up fast." He said to himself. Ash stretched out and decided to take a walk around the area. The sun was high in the sky so he decided to go enjoy the weather while he still could.

Before he could go anywhere he heard someone call out to him, "Why are you even doing this." He looked behind him and noticed Gary, "Gary?" Gary spat at the ground, "You know that killing is our job." Ash was a bit taken a back by Gary's words, "Of course I know that" He shouted at Gary. "Than why were you so afraid to kill?" Gary asked, a bit of harshness in his voice. Ash looked at the ground, "I… I don't know…" Gary pushed Ash out of the way and walked out the door, "If you don't like the thought of killing some one than go be a diplomat or something and talk out your problems instead of being a mercenary."

Ash clenched his fists and was about to run at Gary and beat him up for saying that but then Oak stopped him. "Ash, we need to talk." Ash glared at Oak, "We'll talk after I deal with Gary." Ash spoke between his teeth and tried to push Oak out of the way but Oak wouldn't move, "Ash, I know my grandson could be a little inconsiderate at times, but he is part of the group, we must not fight amongst ourselves." Oak said to Ash. Ash sighed and than nodded, "Okay Oak… I understand." Oaks smiled at him, "Good, now, come with me."

* * *

Oak lead Ash to the same hill that they were training on a few days ago, "Why did you decide to bring me here again?" Ash asked a little bit confused. Oak turned around to face Ash. "I wanted to congratulate you on your first mission." Oak said to Ash with a smile. Ash looked down at the ground, "Thanks… I guess… I'm sorry I let you down… I couldn't help it when I killed that guy… it was an awful thought to think of myself as a murderer…" Ash said, a few tears falling from his eyes. Oak lifted Ash's chin up so that he's facing him, "Listen Ash, it wasn't your fault. Every soldier goes through this when they killed for the first time. Even I went through it." Ash looked up at Oak, "You did?" Oak nodded at him, "Yes, I did. It wasn't a pleasant thought at first, but eventually I got use to it, since it was something I had to do." Oak looked away, "It's something that us mercenaries must learn to cope with." Ash thought for a moment and nodded at Oak, "I understand Oak. Thanks for the advice." 

Oak looked at Ash and smiled, "Well, now that that's over with, I wanted to give you this." Oak reached at his side and took out a sword, still in it's sheathe, and handed it to Ash. "I was given this sword a long time ago when I was working as a lone mercenary, I think it's time I passed it on to you." Ash looked at the sword in Oak's hands and than took it. He drew out the blade from it's sheathe and lifted it in the air, watching as the sun's light gleamed off the sword. "It looks…wonderful, it's as if it was made for an emperor." Ash said in awe. Oak let out a hearty chuckle, "Well, it is called the Imperial Sword," Oak looked at Ash, "Let it serve you well Ash." With that, Oak walked back to the mercenary fort. Ash looked at Oak as he was walking away, "Thank you Oak." Ash said to himself. Oak raised a hand in the air as he was walking away as if saying "No problem."

Ash sat on the hill, looking down at the forest enjoying the view. He then looked up at the sky and smiled. The gift that Oak gave him really raised his spirits, he felt like he really belonged to the mercenaries now. Even though he still had a slight guilty feeling from killing Cadmined, he learned to accept that as a mercenary, there are certain things he had to do and that there was no way around them.

He continued to stare up at the sky, thinking about the events that happened so far since he became a mercenary. His thoughts were broken though when he heard something moving nearby. He looked down from the hill and saw a carriage riding by. Ash stood up and continued to watch the carriage, seeing where it's destination was. Suddenly an arrow flew by and shot the horse that was pulling the carriage, and it fell down. The rider who was controlling the horse quickly jumped off and landed on the ground. Ash watched what was happening and saw that there was a man clad in black armor riding towards the carriage. Ash decided to go down and see what was going on.

* * *

Ash ran down the hill and into the forest where he saw the dead horse and the carriage on the ground. He looked around and then saw the man who was leading the carriage fighting with the man clad in black armor. The man in black armor eventually got the upper hand and stabbed his spear through the other man, and then pulled it out, dropping the other man to the ground. Ash looked at the sight in fear. The man in black armor then noticed Ash, "Tch, it's just a boy, this will be quick." The man in black armor said as he ran at Ash. Ash quickly drew out his new Imperial Sword and blocked the attack that the man executed with his spear. Ash pushed the man away and got into a ready stance, "Who are you, and why did you attack this carriage?" Ash asked him. The man also got into a ready stance and pointed his spear at Ash, "Why would you need to know? You have no business here." The man spat. 

Ash lowered his guard a bit, "People don't go around attacking innocents like that." Ash yelled at him. The man grinned and then charged at Ash. Ash quickly stepped to the side and hit the man with a swift strike of his sword, injuring his left arm. The man staggered back, holding on to his left arm, "Damn. This kid's got some fight in him." The man spoke gritting his teeth. Ash stared at him, "I don't want to hurt you anymore, I just want to know why you attacked this carriage." Ash asked him again. The man glared at Ash and then charged at him, "Don't get cocky kid!" The man yelled as he was charging at Ash. The man's speed was faster than Ash could anticipate. Ash barely dodged the attack, and was scratched on the left arm. Ash put his hand over the part that was scratched screaming out in pain. The man grinned, "Now… you DIE!" The man charged at Ash one more time. This time Ash quickly shot up from below and thrust his sword through the man's chest.

The man screamed out in pain as he felt the cold steel of the sword through him, "This…is…the end…I have failed…my liege…" with those words the man fell down. Ash breathed heavily after that skirmish. He stood up and sheathed his sword. Ash looked around for the injured rider and found him, still alive. Ash walked up to the man and examined his wounds, "Please…save….t-the….p-princess…" The man tried to say before he rested. Ash stared at him, "Princess?" Ash wondered aloud, he looked over at the carriage and walked over to it.

Ash opened up the door of the carriage and saw a young girl around his age inside. She had brown hair split on two sides and wore a silver tiara on her head, from what he saw, she looked to be of royal origin. When she saw Ash she backed up to the other side, "Don't hurt me!" She screamed covering her head in her hands. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." Ash said trying to comfort her. "My name's Ash, I'm a mercenary from these parts." The girl looked up at Ash, her fear starting to disappear. Ash gave her a hand and helped her out of the carriage.

"Are you… a princess?" Ash asked her once she was out of the carriage. "My name's May, I'm the princess of Hoenn." May replied to him. Ash's eyes widened, "Princess Hoenn? Why were you being pursued by that man?" Ash pointed to the man clad in armor." May looked down at the ground, "I… don't know… It happened a few days ago, the Kingdom of Hoenn was under attack by unknown forces, dad thought it was best if my brother and I escaped," May let some tears fall from her eyes, "During our escape though… my brother and I were separated… our pursuers split up and chased after us… we've been traveling without much rest for two days now." May said sadly.

Ash looked away from her, he wasn't really good in these situations. He looked back at the corpse of the man in black armor and noticed something on him, "Hey, what's that?" Ash wondered as he went over to the man's corpse. Ash picked up a small signet ring on the man's finger, "It's…it's the Kanto Royal Seal…does that mean…" Ash looked back at May, "May, could it be that Kanto is after you?" May looked at Ash, "I'm not really sure why if they are… over the years Hoenn has been at peace with the other kingdoms." Ash thought for a moment, "I know, you can come stay at my place." Ash said. May looked at him, "Your place?" May asked him. Ash nodded at her, "Yeah, the mercenary fort where I live isn't very far from here, and I'm guessing you have no where to go right?" May looked down and then shook her head. "Good, let's get going then." Ash said.

Ash and May started to head back to the mercenary fort. Ash looked back down at the signet ring, 'Maybe Oak would know more about this…' Ash thought to himself and looked in the direction of the mercenary fort.

* * *

End of chatper 3. Read and review please! 


	4. Ch 4: Nightly Assault

_Sorry it took so long for update. I was caught up in a bit of work and hardly have enough time to do anything :( Ah well, here's chapter 4! Enjoy!_

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Fire Emblem.**  
**

* * *

**Crest of Pokemon**

"The Kanto Royal Seal?" Lance said shockingly as Oak held it out to him. "Yes, this is what I found on the one leading the attack on the village." Oak said, holding out the badge. Lance thought for a moment, 'What would Kanto be doing with ruthless mercenaries such as the Rocket…' Oak looked up at him, "Lance, when you were part of the Kanto Royal Guard, do you remember anything suspicious about them?" Oak asked him.

Lance looked down, "I don't remember anything suspicious. The king just ordered us to do normal things around the kingdom. At that time there weren't any major wars… except for maybe the small skirmishes happening within the kingdom." Lance looked up facing Oak, "I thought that those small encounters were just common bandits ravaging the countryside, but now that I think of it, it could've been the Rocket Mercenaries." Lance said, a little shakily. Oak thought for a moment, "Hmm, and what do you know about King Kanto?" Oak asked. "From what I heard, Kanto received a new king since I left, I'm unsure of who the new king is or his backgrounds."

Oak nodded, "What ever is going on in the royal house, it shouldn't affect us too much... hopefully…" Lance nodded at Oak, "Whatever happens now though, we must be a little more careful… Kanto maybe watching our every move… now that they know that we are capable of killing a member of their force."

* * *

The sun was starting to set now. Delia sat near a window and stared outside, watching the sun go down. She sat there deep in thought, thinking back to how the mercenaries saved her and Ash's lives:

* * *

_Delia held Ash in her arms as she continued to run away from the pursuers. Even though they were a good distance from her, she could hear their screams coming closer and closer every moment._

_She continued to run in the forest until she was sure they stopped. Tiredly she dropped to the ground against a tree, trying to gasp for air. Ash was crying in her arms, sensing her restlessness. "Hush Ash…everything will be alright…" She tried to comfort the little Ash as she rocked him in her arms. Ash eventually calmed down and went back to sleep. She gave a sigh of relief and soon, fell into a deep slumber herself._

_It wasn't long before she heard footsteps heading towards her. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked a bit, trying to adjust her eyes. Before she realized it she saw that three men have surrounded her. "W-what's going on?" She tried to say, stuttering a bit. One of the men stepped up and grinned, "You are one of the villagers, isn't that right?" The man looked down at her, sensing fear in her, "The boss ordered us to kill anyone from the village," He slowly drew out his sword, "I feel terrible to kill such a beautiful one, but orders are orders." The man raised his sword high in the air and quickly brought it down. Delia held on to Ash tightly and let out a scream in terror._

_Suddenly a ball of fire hit the man before he could bring his sword down. The flames incinerated him and turned him to crisp in an instant. The other two men gasped at the one who cast the fireball. "What!? It's…it's an Arch-sage! Run!" Before the other two men could get away they were surrounded in a wreath of fire and were instantly burned to their death. _

_Delia continued to hold on to Ash, still bracing for her demise. The one who cast the spells walked up to her and held a hand out to her, "It's okay now. They will not harm you or your child anymore." Delia looked up at the voice, "W-who…w-who are y-you?" She stuttered, trying to hold back tears. The man looked down at her, "I'm Oak, Arch-sage and leader of the Oak Mercenaries, you're a survivor of the village that was attacked the night before right?" Oak asked her. Delia nodded and took his hand, rising up from the ground, "Yes… do you know what became of the village?" She asked him, hoping for a good answer._

_Oak looked down at the ground, "It… it was burned to the ground the night it was attacked… I'm sorry…" Delia closed her eyes and tears started to flow out, "No…he's…he's gone…" Oak softened his gaze, feeling sorry for her, "I'm sorry about your husband… when I came to the village… I couldn't find any survivors…" Oak said softly. Delia let another tear drop and looked at Ash, "Where will I go now…what will be the future for my son…" She asked herself, letting more tears fall. Oak thought for a moment and then looked at her, "I know, you can stay with me." He told her. _

_Delia looked up at him, "Oh… I don't know if that's necessary…I don't want us to be of a burden to you." Oak shook his head, "No, it will be alright, if you want, you can stay with us until you can find a better home. It's the least I can do for failing to protect your village." Oak replied to her. Delia looked down at Ash and thought for a moment. "Okay… I'll take your offer…" With that, Oak leads her to the mercenary fort._

* * *

"I guess this is the best home for me…and Ash…" Delia said with a smile. She then heard the door creak and looked over at it. To her surprise, she saw Ash enter with a girl clad in very elegant wear.

"Hello mom, where is everybody?" Ash asked her. "Well, I know Oak and Lance are in the mess hall discussing a few things, I think Gary is out training somewhere. Brock is probably cooking up something for dinner. Misty's feeding the birds by the garden, and I think Tracey is shooting some apples by the range." Delia replied to him, "Oh, and who's that girl you have with you, " She looked over at the elegantly dressed girl. "Oh, that's May. She's the princess of Hoenn. I found her being pursued by some guy…" Ash decided to leave out the part that the man possessed the Kanto Royal Seal, "Her escort group was killed by the man, so I decided to bring her here." Ash said. May bowed at Delia while holding the sides of her skirt up, "It's an honor to meet you miss."

Delia smiled at her, "We're glad to have you with us then May, oh, my name's Delia." Before the three of them could continue their conversation, Brock came into the room, "Dinner's ready everyone-Oh, who's this?" Brock said before noticing May. "That's May, she's the princess of Hoenn." Ash introduced her. May bowed before Brock, "Wait…you're the princess of Hoenn?" Brock asked with a mix of awe and shock in his voice. May nodded at him, "Yes, I am." Brock shook his head, "Wow, the leader must know about this!" He than ran out of the room and back to the mess hall where Lance and Oak were currently discussing things.

May looked at Ash, "What if… the leader doesn't want me here?" She asked Ash, a little disheartening. "Don't worry May, he's a pretty nice guy, he likes to have new company sometimes. I'm sure he'll let you stay, I'll make sure he will." Ash gave her a big toothy grin to reassure her. May smiled at him, "Thank you Ash, you're doing a lot for me." Ash blushed a bit, "It's… nothing really." Ash said, blushing a bit.

* * *

The three of them then went into the mess hall to find the other mercenaries already seated and eating. "Hey Ash, who's the new girl?" Misty asked him as she saw him walk in. "This is May, she's the princess of Hoenn." Ash said to Misty. "Are you really?" Gary said, a little bit of suspicion in his voice. May nodded at him, "Yes, I really am the princess of Hoenn." May said to him. "Hmm, you do look royal somewhat… but we can't be too sure-" Gary said but was cut off, "That's enough Gary." Oak said to him. Gary then be quiet and continued eating. "I'm sorry for my grandson's rudeness princess, I welcome you to our home." Oak said to her. May smiled at him and bowed, "Thank you very much sir."

* * *

After dinner was over with, Oak told the mercenaries to not go anywhere and to stay in the mess hall, "Okay everyone. I called you all here because in the last mission that Lance, Brock, Misty, and Ash participated in, we discovered something a bit troubling." Oak took out the Kanto Royal Seal from his pocket and showed it to everyone, making Ash gasp a bit. "This badge bears the Kanto Royal Seal incase some of you haven't recognized it. It was found on the body of the one leading the unit of mercenaries that attacked the village." Oak said.

Lance then stood up to say his peace. "From here on, all of you should be a little more careful where ever you go and whatever you do, since we are located on the edge of Kanto, it won't be hard for them to find us." Lance said then sat down. Ash thought of a moment after hearing all this, 'Could this mean… that Kanto trying to start a war?' He felt the ring in his pocket that bared the Kanto Royal Seal. May noticed his anxiety and looked over at him, "Is everything alright Ash?" She asked him worriedly. Ash looked over at her and nodded, "Yeah… I'm fine…" Not really convinced, May decided to drop the subject.

* * *

After everyone left to their respective quarters, the only people left inside the mess hall were Ash and Oak. "Oak… I have something to tell you." Oak looked at Ash, "What is it Ash?" Ash reached into his pocket and took out the signet ring, "This ring… I found it on the guy chasing after Princess May… do you think…" Oak took the ring from Ash and examined it farther, "Yes… I think so Ash…" He then put the ring away, "What a strange turn of events for us, first the attack on that village, now the princess of Hoenn shows up. This is serious indeed." Oak stated looking at the ground.

"What do you plan on doing with her?" Oak asked Ash. Ash looked up at Oak, "I… I just thought it'd be a good thing to take her back to the base, because she has no where to go…" Ash said. Just then May walked into the mess hall. "Oh, sorry to disturb you two, but… I was wondering… where will I sleep tonight?" She asked them. "Oh hey May-err I mean, princess… I'm not so sure actually, I think all the rooms are pretty much filled." Ash said, correcting himself from calling her informally. Oak thought for a moment, "I know, you can sleep in Ash's room tonight." He said grinning at Ash. Ash panicked a bit, "Oh-uh…I know! You can sleep in mom's room, it's the first one on the left upstairs." He told May quickly. May looked at the two of them, a bit confused, and then nodded, "Okay, I'll sleep in Delia's room then I guess." She then walked out of the mess hall and upstairs.

Oak then looked at Ash, "Ash… I want you to take care of her." Ash widened his eyes in shock at this, "What!? Why me?" Oak looked at him straight in the eyes, "If she truly is the princess of Hoenn…which I have no doubt she is… it could cause a few problems for us… since if what you're saying is true about the man pursuing her carrying the seal of Kanto… it could mean we're in grave danger." Ash looked at Oak for a moment then nodded, "I understand Oak… I'll do my best."

* * *

May crept silently up the stairs and found the first door to her left. She took a deep breath and then knocked. Once she heard no answer she knocked again. After the second knock though the door opened, revealing Delia, "Oh, hello princess, what may I do for you?" Delia asked when she saw May. May looked down at the ground, "Umm, well, there isn't anywhere I could sleep, and Ash suggested I sleep in your room, is that okay?" May asked her. Delia took her in without a second thought, "Of course you can sleep here tonight! I'd be honored to have a princess sleeping in my own room!" Delia said enthusiastically and pulled May into the room.

May lost her balance a bit due to the force of Delia pulling her into the room, "Thank you Miss Delia, all of you have been so kind to me since I came here…" She looks down at the ground, a small tear falling from her eye, "I… I don't know what I can do to repay all of you for your kindness…" May sniffed a bit. Delia looked down at May, "You don't need to worry about a thing hon-err princess, it's my job to take care of any refugees that come to our base." Delia said, patting May in the back to reassure her. May looked up at Delia and smiled, "Thank you." Delia smiled back at her, and then started to eye her over, "Hmm… those clothes of yours… though elegant they do look a little dirty… How long have you been wearing them?" Delia asked May. "Umm, I think for about three days now." May said. "Three days!?" Delia screamed shockingly, "That's terrible!"

Delia went over to her closet and took out one of her nightgowns and gave it to May, "Here, change into this, at least until I'm done washing your clothes." May looked down at it, "It's no problem real-" Before May could finish Delia interrupted her, "Just do it! I can't have a princess going around in dirty clothes!" Delia put the nightgown in May's hands and hurried her over to the closet where she could change.

May sighed as she changed out of her red royal gown and into the silk nightgown. May looked down at herself, 'Hmm, for just common mercenaries, these people are able to buy some expensive things.' She thought to herself, examining the silk nightgown. She walked out of the closet and held out her other clothes to Delia. Delia took the clothes and started for the door, "I'm going to go wash your clothes, if you're sleepy go ahead and take the bed tonight. I'll just sleep on the floor." Delia said. May nodded at her, "Okay, thank you Miss Delia." With that, Delia left the room.

May sighed as she lay on the bed. She stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the events that happened the day she met Ash and the rest of the mercenaries, "They've all… been so kind to me… and they're from Kanto also… is there more to the world than I've seen?" She wondered aloud to herself. Slowly May felt her eyes get heavy, and then she drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

_May slowly opened her eyes, as she smelled the sweet scent of flowers. She sat up and looked around, finding herself in a field full of flowers. She got up and took a walk around, admiring the scenery. "May! May!" May looked around to find the source of the voice and noticed that it was a younger boy, "Oh, hello there Max." May greeted the younger boy._

_The boy ran up to May and then stopped to get some air, "What were you doing out here? Mom and dad were worried about you!" Max yelled at her in a caring sort of way. May smiled at him, "Just enjoying the view, that's all." She replied to him as she picked up a flower and smelled it. "Ah, so that's where our children have been." May looked up at the sound of the voice and noticed a man and a woman, "Hello there mom, dad." May greeted the two as they walked over to where May and Max were. "So what are you two doing out here? Decide to come find us?" May asked the two. "I guess so, mainly here for the view though, right Norman?" The woman said nudging at her husband. Norman chuckled, "I guess, the view is nice today isn't it Caroline." Norman said to his wife. All four of them both laughed as they watched the field of flowers together._

_May smiled, 'This is my family…' she thought to herself, enjoying the moment that all four of them were sharing together. All of a sudden the wind started to blow stronger and the sky went from a serene blue to a threatening red. Suddenly fire shot down from the sky and burned the field of flowers. May coughed as she smelled the flames, "Everyone alright1?" Norman yelled as he tried to protect his family from the spreading fires. Just then, a man, clad in dark, heavy armor, rode up to them on his horse, He stepped down from the horse and drew out his sword, sticking it at Norman's neck._

"_Surrender your kingdom to me… or face death." The man said to Norman. Norman glared at him, "I'll never hand my kingdom over to you!" Norman yelled at the man. The man quickly slashed his sword, instantly killing Norman. "Norman!" Caroline shrieked, seeing her husband fall. "You will be next!" The man quickly thrust his sword through Caroline, instantly killing her too. "No! Mother! Father!" Max screamed, tears streaking from his eyes. The man cut him down before he could say anymore. "Now, you're the last one!" The man ran for May and raised his sword at her. She quickly shielded her eyes and screamed loudly, bracing herself._

* * *

"No! Please! Don't hurt me!" May yelled in her sleep. "May! May! May!" Delia was shaking May to try and wake her up from the nightmare she was having. May eventually woke up, breathing heavily with tears in her eyes. "Oh…Delia…" May dug herself into Delia's chest as she cried. Delia looked down at her sobbing, and wrapped her arms around May, "Don't be scared princess… everything will be alright…" Delia said reassuringly. May continued to sob, "It was terrible…" May managed to say. "What was?" Delia asked her.

May continued to cry, "H-he…t-that man…" She couldn't say anymore and broke into more tears. Delia looked down at May, her expression starting to soften up, feeling sorry for the girl. "May… Is it that you miss your family?" Delia asked her. May looked up at Delia with tear-filled eyes and nodded, "Yes… I'm worried about them too… ever since my brother and I were escorted out of the kingdom… I just… had these feelings that mom and dad were in danger." May was able to say.

Delia looked at May and then held her close in embrace again, "May… your parents will be fine… I… I had a husband once… Ash's father in fact… " Delia couldn't hold it anymore and started to let some tears fall, "He… he stayed back at the village so that Ash and I could escape… Though many people say he's dead… somewhere in my heart I believe he's alive… even though I could be wrong, I will keep on believing that he's out there somewhere, trying to make his way back to his loved ones." Delia said, wiping a tear away from her face.

May looked up at Delia, "You mean… even after people said that your husband died… you still believe he's alive?" May asked her. Delia nodded, "Yes. I didn't see him die myself so I can't be sure, until I actually see it, I won't believe it." Delia smiled at May, "Your parents will be okay. Just pray for them and hope that they make it out this crisis." Delia said to May reassuringly. May nodded at Delia and hugged her again, "Thank you so much…" Delia hugged May back, "It's alright sweetie." May released from the hug and looked up at Delia, "You know, you haven't called me princess this whole time," She said with a smirk. Delia laughed a bit, "Oh, guess I was too concerned with being a mother to realize." May laughed, "It's okay actually, I don't mind all of you calling me by my name. Princess sounds too formal anyway." May giggled.

* * *

Ash wasn't able to sleep that night. He kept on tossing and turning but sleep wouldn't overcome him. He let out a sigh and got up. Ash put on his usual clothes, strapped his sword to his side, and walked out of his room.

He ventured outside the mercenary fort and went to the hill where Oak initiated him into the Oak Mercenaries. He lay there on the hill for a moment, looking up at the stars. "Why can't I sleep?" He wondered aloud to himself.

The stars blinked, seeming to answer back at him. Ash sighed and continued to stare up at the sky, "I guess… I feel like I have this big responsibility… watching out for the princess and all…" Ash said aloud again as he looked up at the sky. "I just…some how… I think I made a mistake bringing her here… I might endanger the whole company… but then… she did give me more company…" He wondered to himself again. The starts blinked again, shining a little more brightly this time. Ash looked up at the sky and saw a shooting star soar through the sky, giving him a glimpse of hope.

Ash smiled, "I can do it… I know I can… Whatever responsibilities are given to me, I can do them!" Ash said standing back up.

He started to come down from the hill, but then heard many footsteps around. Ash looked around for a brief moment and then caught glimpse of a small army marching towards the fort. Ash took a closer look and saw the banner they were flying above their head was the Kanto Seal. "Oh no… I must warn the others!" With that, Ash ran back to the mercenary fort.

* * *

Once Ash got in he ran to Oak's room. Ash quickly opened up the door, to find Oak already standing and dressed, "Oak! Kanto's-" Oak turned around and interrupted him before he could finish, "I know Ash, alert the others." Ash nodded at Oak and ran out to awaken everyone else.

* * *

Ash quickly ran into Delia's room and opened up the door, "Mom wake up! We're being attacked!" he yelled. He quickly covered his mouth, trying to hide his gasp when he saw that his mother and May were sleeping on the bed together. He quickly shook the thought and shook Delia, "Wake up mom!" He yelled again. Delia stirred a bit, starting to wake up, "What's wrong Ash?" She asked him. "We're being attacked, Oak said for everyone to meet in the mess hall." Ash said to her. She nodded and got up. "W-what's going on." May asked as she too was starting to wake up. Ash looked at her, "We're being attacked, by Kanto I think." Ash said to her. May gasped, "What? But, why?" May asked. Ash thought for a moment, "I don't know… probably because they're after you." Ash said. May looked down, a little frightened, "Don't worry though, I'll protect you." Ash gave May a reassuring smile and then ran out the door. May watched as he ran out, "Thank you Ash." She said to him as he ran out.

May then looked up Delia, seeing her get off the bed and starting to get dressed, "Miss Delia?" Delia looked back at May hearing her call out to her, "Thank you for comforting me." May said to her smiling. Delia smiled back at May, "Your welcome darling." Delia replied. The two of them got dressed and quickly headed down to the mess hall.

* * *

Everyone gathered in the mess hall. Oak took a look around at everyone. Once he saw that everyone was there, he began to speak, "I apologize to have waken all of you up like this, but it is an emergency. It seems that troops carrying the Kanto Banner have some how found out about our whereabouts and have dispatched troops to take out this fort as we speak." Oak said. Everyone stood still, bracing themselves for orders that will be given to them.

"From what we know so far, they outnumber us many to one, this will be a hard battle indeed." Oak said. "To repel the enemy, we will split ourselves into two groups. The first group will try and break through the enemy ranks and attack the enemy base camp, while the second group will stay at the fort and defend it." Oak said and looked over the rest of the mercenaries, "I will lead the first group. I want Gary and Tracey to come with me." Gary and Tracey nodded as they were given the orders, "And the second group will be lead by Ash, and that will consist of the rest of you." Oak said smiling at Ash.

Ash was shocked as he heard his name, "What!? Me lead? But I don't even know how!" Ash rebuked, trying to escape this position. Oak looked into Ash's eyes, "Look Ash… I know you can do it… just believe in yourself." Oak said to Ash, giving him a reassuring smile. "Also, if you need any assistance just look up to Lance, he'll be your second-in-command." Oak said.

* * *

After that was all done, Oak, Gary, and Tracey left the fort to lead an assault right on the enemy. Ash and the rest left the mercenary fort and stopped at the gate. A soldier from the opposing side walked up to Ash, "We are the Kanto Army, there are rumors about you mercenaries quartering the Princess Hoenn. The king's orders are that you should hand her over to us immediately, or suffer severe consequences." The solider said. Ash sighed and shook his head, "I'm sorry, but we will not give up the Princess Hoenn without reason." The soldier glared at Ash, "Fine then," the soldier readied his lance, "May the gods show you mercy!" the soldier yelled and then charged at Ash. Ash quickly drew out his sword and cut the soldier down.

Ash looked behind him where the others were, "Mom, you stay inside the fort and make sure that Princess May will be alright, everyone else, come with me!" Ash yelled and ran out towards the invading troops, Brock, Misty, and Lance soon followed after.

May looked up at Delia, "Miss Delia? Do you think they'll be all right? I'm a little worried." May asked Delia. Delia looked at May and smiled, "Don't worry sweetie, I'm sure that Ash will be able to lead them to victory, even though he's still new at this mercenary stuff, I'm sure he'll be fine." Delia said to May. May looked out in the direction where Ash and the others ran, 'Ash… please be okay…'

* * *

_Done with chapter 4! Oh, in the few chapters to come, I'm going to start Support conversations. If any of you have played the game before, support conversations reveal more about each character and their relationships with other characters. They will be posted at the beginning of each chapter. I will update when they will be put up. Read and review please :)_


	5. Ch 5: Mysterious Foe

_Chapter 5 is now up! Sorry it took so long. Real life issues :( _

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon or Fire Emblem**  
**

* * *

**Crest of Pokemon**

"Haaaa!" Ash screamed as he fought down an opposing soldier. He quickly turned around and cut down two more soldiers that ran at him. Ash stood ready, looking around him breathing heavily, fatigue was starting to get to him. "Is this…the…end?" Ash spoke, barely out of breath.

Just then a cavalier charged up to him and was about to run a spear through him, when Brock quickly jumped in front of Ash and knocked down the cavalier, "Don't worry Ash, we got your back!" Brock looked back and winked at him. Ash looked up at him and smiled, "Thanks Brock."

Before he could say more another soldier was charging at him, this time he was saved by Lance, "Hate to break up the conversation, but we have a battle to fight here." Lance yelled as he cut down the soldier. All three of them nodded and continued to fight on.

Unnoticed by them, a mysterious figure wrapped in a dark red was watching them from atop a hill, "I wonder how long you will last… Oak Mercenaries…" the figure turned around and headed down the hill.

* * *

Brock fought down a few more of the soldiers that ran at him and rested on his axe, breathing heavily, "They just…keep coming…" All of a sudden an arrow flew at him and hit him right on the leg. He fell to the ground screaming in pain, "Aarrghh!" Ash looked back, seeing his friend get injured, "Brock!" Ash ran at the archer that shot Brock and cut him down.

Ash ran to Brock's side, "Brock! Are you alright?" Ash asked him. Brock nodded, "I think I will be… I don't think I can move this leg though." Brock said, still in pain. Misty then came up to them, "I'll take care of Brock's wound. Ash, you and Lance must protect the fort." Ash nodded at Misty and ran back to the field.

* * *

As the fight got longer, more soldiers came. Ash looked at all the soldiers around him, "I don't know how much longer I'll last at this rate…" Just then Gary came from behind the enemy ranks and cut them down, "Need some help Ash-y boy?" Gary looked at Ash. Ash blinked for a moment and then shook his head, "I was fine!" Ash yelled at Gary, not wanting to admit his distress.

Gary just sighed, "Whatever Ash-y boy. Gramps, Tracey, and I were done with our task so Gramps told us to come help you guys out." Gary said with boredom in his voice. Ash looked at him shocked, "You took out the enemy base camp? But then… why do they keep on coming?" Ash asked him. Gary shrugged, "We couldn't find the enemy general, but we took out a large part of their force."

Before Ash could ask anything else, Gary spun around and cut down a soldier running at them with his sword. "No time for talking Ash-y boy, we can't rest till they're all gone!" Gary then ran off to where other soldiers were. Ash grunted, "Sheesh, he doesn't have to run off like that." Before Ash could run after Gary, he caught sight of a red blaze run towards him. He quickly jumped to the side, evading the attack, "What the?" He gasped as he landed.

The figure turned around and faced him. "You Oak Mercenaries have fought well…" The figure said to Ash. Ash glared at him and readied his sword, "Who are you." Ash demanded. The man grinned at Ash under his mask, "My name is of no importance." The man just stated. Ash gritted his teeth in anger and ran at the man, throwing a strike at him with his sword. The man quickly drew a short sword from his sheathe and blocked Ash's attack. "Why did you attack May!?" Ash yelled at him. "May…? Oh, you mean the Princess Hoenn. Well, it's direct orders from our king, it's not like we can disobey." The man replied to Ash. The man then stepped away from Ash, making Ash fall forward. The man quickly hit Ash on the back with the handle of his sword, making Ash fall to the ground.

Ash quickly got back up, "Agh! You…" Ash then charged at him again. This time the man ducked down and did a sweep, making Ash fall to the ground. The man then jumped up in to the air and was about to stab Ash. Ash quickly saw the attack coming and rolled out of the way. He got back up on his feet and got into a ready stance, "Whatever happens…I won't let you hurt May!" Ash yelled at him. The man just cracked his neck in response, "Foolish little boy… you dare stand in the way of Rocket? All that stand in our way suffer the same fate." With that, the man quickly ran at Ash.

The man was too quick for Ash to see so Ash couldn't retaliate. The man kicked Ash in the stomach, than elbowed him in the back, and then sent him in the air with a kick from below. Ash flew up in the sky airborne, 'He's strong…He must be a high ranking member of the Rocket…' Before Ash could do anything else, the man appeared above Ash and kicked him to the ground.

Ash fell down and landed on the ground hard. "Agh!" Ash yelled in pain as he hit the ground. Ash tried to get up but then the man stomped his foot on Ash's back and pressed down. Ash screamed in pain some more. The man raised his short sword in the air, "Now… I'll show you what happens to all people who cross paths with Rocket!" The man quickly brought his sword down. Ash closes his eyes, bracing himself for the impact, 'This is…the end…'

Just then, a lightning bolt hit the man and he staggered back. "What!?" The man looked in the direction of the lightning bolt. "Your battle ends here… incase you didn't notice… your entire army is gone…" Oak stepped out into the open, his hand open, some sparks flickering from it. The man looked around, noticing that there weren't any soldiers around, "You win this time…but next time… it will be different…" The man quickly threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared.

Ash looked up at Oak, "Oak…" Oak gave Ash a hand, "You fought well Ash. Are you okay?" Ash reached up and grabbed Oak's hand, pulling himself up, "Yeah… I think I'm okay…" Ash thought for a moment, "That man…he's no ordinary fighter." Oak nodded at Ash, "Judging from the beating he gave you, he's a tough opponent." Ash looked away and nodded, "Yeah.." The two of them walked back to the mercenary fort, where everyone else was.

* * *

May sat looking down at the ground, "I hope Ash and the others are okay…" She closes here eyes with her hands over her heart. "Yeah, we're okay, I think." Brock said as he, Misty, Tracey, and Gary walked through the door. "Brock! You guys are okay!" She said excitedly. She looked at all of them smiling, but when she didn't notice Ash her smile faded, "Where's Ash?" She asked a worriedly. All of them looked at each other. "No…he didn't…" Before she could finish, Ash walked through the door along with Oak.

May gasped when she saw Ash, "Ash! Oh no, you're hurt!" She ran to his side. "I'm fine May, don't worry about- Ow!" Ash held on to his side, feeling some pain. May caught him before he could fall, "Ash…what happened?" May asked worriedly. When Ash heard this the thought of his brief fight with that man surged through his mind. He gritted his teeth angrily and pushed May away, "Nothing…" He said coldly and staggered against the wall up to his room, his hair shadowing his eyes. May stepped back, a little shocked at his behavior, "Oh Ash…"

Oak noticed her distress and put a hand on her shoulder, "Let Ash be for a moment… he needs a moment alone…" May looked up at him and nodded, "Okay…" She then looked back in the direction Ash went, 'Ash…'

* * *

The rest of the mercenaries came into the kitchen, where Delia's meal was waiting for them. They sat down and dug in, hungry after the long battle they had. Delia smiled, noticing how content they were looking eating a good meal after a tough battle. She then noticed Ash was missing though. "Oh, where's Ash?" She asked.

May looked down at her food and got up, "I'm not hungry…sorry Miss Delia." She walked out of the kitchen and upstairs. Delia looked at her worriedly, "I wonder what happened…" Delia sighed. Oak looked at her and stood up, "Well, this may not be the best time to say this… but I think we have no choice but to leave our fort." All of the mercenaries looked up at Oak, surprised.

"What!?" Misty gasped out loudly. "But why?" Tracey gasped. Oak looked down, "After the attack that Kanto launched on us, there's no doubt that they will launch another attack on us. We must leave if we want to live to see another sunrise." All of the mercenaries looked at Oak for a moment, and then looked back down, realizing that they had no choice. "After dinner, all of you go and pack up, we leave at dawn tomorrow."

* * *

May crept upstairs and slightly opened the door to Ash's room. She peaked through the small crack and saw Ash sitting on his bed all bandaged up. "Ash, dinner's ready." She opened the door and stepped in. Ash didn't budge at all and continued to stare out the window. "Ash? Aren't you hungry?" She asked him again, still with no answer. May looked down at the ground, remembering his angry state from before and turned around, "I'm sorry…" She started to walk out, "Wait…sorry for scaring you earlier…" May turned around, hearing Ash's voice."

Ash continued to stare out the window, "It's just… out there…" He took a deep sigh. May noticed his anxiety and walked into the room and sat beside him on the bed, "What's wrong?" She asked him comfortingly. Ash looked down at the bed, "I ran into a strong member of the Rocket Mercenaries… we fought for a bit… but in the end I lost…" Ash took another deep sigh, "That's how I got hurt so much…" May gasped hearing his story. "It's just…after that…I felt so weak…how am I suppose to protect anybody if I can be beaten so easily…" Ash cried out slamming his fist against the bed. He looked down, his hair shadowing his eyes as a stray tear falls from his eye.

May noticed and put a hand on his shoulder, "Ash… I think you're strong…" She said, attempting to comfort him. Ash jerked away, "That's just you… no one else thinks I'm strong… They all think of me as nothing more but a burden." Ash said icily. May looked down, "I don't think so… I mean, Oak put you in charge of defending the fort… I don't think he'd do that if he thought of you as a burden." May replied. This made Ash stop for a bit.

"I guess…you're right…" Ash breathed out and looked at the ground. "I'm sorry May… it's just… that a lot has happened since I became a mercenary." Ash sighed, "I guess I'm not sure where I stand." May looked at him, "I think you're good." May said to him. Ash looked over at May, "What I mean is… you took me in when I had no one else to turn to, you even pleaded for me to stay here… I thank you a lot for that." May said to him, looking into his eyes.

Ash looked to the side, "Oh…I guess that's something I'm good at… sort of." May smiled at him, "I'll always believe in you Ash, no matter what happens." Ash looked at May, taking in her words slowly. May held the sides of her skirt and bowed before him, "I'm going to go pack up now, Oak said that we'll be leaving at dawn tomorrow." With that, May left the room. Ash watched as May left, "Thank you…May…"

* * *

The next day at sunrise, all of the mercenaries stood outside the gates ready to move out. Oak looked over them, "Good, everyone seems ready." He then looked over at May, "Okay princess, you said you left Hoenn because of political turmoil correct?" May looked up at Oak and nodded at him, "Yes, that's right, but… I want to return there… I want to see if mother and father are safe or not." May said, looking down.

Oak looked over at the rest of the mercenaries, "Any objections then?" Gary smirked, "If it means having Hoenn in our debt, I'm all for it." Lance nodded, "I'd like to see what's going on in Hoenn anyway… and find out for what reason Kanto is attacking Hoenn for." Brock looked up at the sky, "I heard Hoenn had some pretty girls, it sounds good to me!" Tracey secured his bow to his back, "Sounds good to me." Misty tied her hair back, "I heard Hoenn has some good vacation spots also, let's go!" Delia looked at Ash, "If Ash is okay with it, than I'll be fine." Ash nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

Oak turned around, "Alright then, Oak Mercenaries, move out!"

* * *

_That's all for chapter 5! I have decided that Support conversations will start after chapter 8. At the end of chapter 7 I'll give a list of possible conversations. All you need to do is vote for which pair of conversations you'd want to hear in your review and I'll write them. R & R please!_


	6. Ch 6, Interlude: Memories

_Finally updated! Sorry it took so long. I decided to do a short little chapter this time so I could gather my thoughts. The next chapter will be longer, I promise :)_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon or Fire Emblem.**  
**

* * *

**Crest of Pokemon**

A few days have passed since the Oak Mercenaries left their home. They now continue the long road to Hoenn.

Not too soon did they run into a nearby town. They all decided to rest there for the night to gather up their energy for the rest of the trip.

"So Lance, what do you think?" Oak asked Lance as he sat down on the couch. Oak and Lance rented rooms for the mercenaries at the local inn of the town. Oak and Lance stayed in one room, while Brock and Tracey stayed in another, Gary and Misty stayed in another room together, while Ash, May, and Delia were kept in one room. Lance looked down at the map on the table, "I think that it will be about two more days until we reach Petalburg City, the capital of Hoenn." Lance said. Oak nodded, "I see, we're moving at a good pace."

Lance nodded at him, "We weren't pursued though… it makes me weary…" Oak nodded at him, "That's true… I wonder what they could be planning…" Oak and Lance both looked down at the ground, deep in thought.

* * *

Tracey and Brock were enjoying the view of the town. Brock was going around flirting with some of the local women, while Tracey was drawing them in his sketchbook. The women quickly got angry with the two of them and chased them all around the town.

Gary on the other hand, was wooing the women and drew their attention away from Brock and Tracey in no time.

Misty, May, and Delia went to the local shops to buy more provisions for the mercenaries, and other things with the money they had.

Ash lay on his bed, thinking about the recent things that have been happening so far. Eventually he got sleepy and dozed off.

* * *

"Have you located them yet?" a woman dressed in black armor asked the soldier that reported to her.

"No, we haven't yet, but rumor is that they were spotted in a town near Petalburg City." The soldier said. The woman thought for a moment, "So, their destination is Hoenn isn't it…?" She let out a chuckle, "Okay soldier, I want you to contact those two lousy swordsman, tell them that their next assignment is to take out those sellswords." The soldier bowed before her, "I understand Miss Domino, I'll give them the message right away." With that, the soldier left. Domino rested back against her chair, "This looks like an interesting enemy we have at hand…especially their leader…"

* * *

_"Do you possibly think you can defeat me?" The masked man knocked Ash back with his short sword. Ash fell back but quickly got back on his feet, "I won't lose to you!" Ash charged at the man and lunged at him. The man quickly stepped out of the way and thrust his sword right through Ash, "Auch…" Ash could barely breathe as he felt the cold steel go through him, "Sweet dreams… as you'll never be waking up…" The man quickly pulled his sword out of Ash and pushed Ash to the ground._

* * *

"Ash! Ash! Ash!" May was shaking Ash trying to wake him up. Ash opened up his eyes seeing her, "Huh? May?" May gave a sigh of relief, "I'm so glad you're okay, you were having a nightmare." Ash sat up and looked down at the ground, "I guess I was… I just couldn't get that man out of my thoughts." Ash replied to her.

May looked at him, "Oh… is he… that bad?" She asked him. Ash nodded at her, "He's not like any enemy I've seen before… he was strong…" Ash gave a sigh, "I just… don't know what I'd do if I ran into him again…" May put a hand on his shoulder, which caused him to look up at her, "You shouldn't worry about it Ash, you have the rest of the mercenaries to help you, so just don't worry about it." May gave him a reassuring smile. Ash smiled back at her, "Thanks May."

Ash looked outside to see the sun starting to go down, "I think I'm going to go get something to eat, I'm getting kind of hungry." Ash got up and headed out the door. May watched as he walked out, "Be back soon." She said to him as he walked out.

* * *

May lied down on her bed after Ash left. "I'll be home soon." She spoke to herself softly. 'I wonder how mom and dad are.' She wondered to herself as she shifted to the side. 'And… Max…' her eyes started to tear up as she thought about all these things. "Will I…ever see him again?" she put her hands over her face as she cried softly, thinking of the night she and Max were separated when they were trying to escape from Hoenn:

* * *

_"Shit! It's Kanto forces! Quickly, get the prince and princess out of here!" A soldier yelled as he readied his lance. Two other soldiers hurried Max and May to the carriage that they were traveling in. Just as Max and May were nearing the carriage, a rider came in between them attempting to attack them. "Watch out!" one of the soldiers jumped in the way and knocked the rider off of his horse. The rider fell down and quickly got back up and engaged the soldier._

"_Hurry and get the prince and princess out of here! I'll try and hold him off!" The soldier yelled to the other soldier. The other soldier nodded and boarded the two royalties on to the carriage. May was able to get in, but before Max could get in another rider ran between them and grabbed Max. "No Max!" May yelled terrified. "May! Help me!" Max yelled while in the arms of the rider. Before May could get out, the soldier already started to ride away on the carriage._

"_Stop! Max is in trouble!" May tried to yell to the soldier to stop the carriage, but he couldn't hear her. May looked out from behind the carriage, seeing Max being carried off by the rider, "Max!" She yelled out to him with tears in her eyes. Max tried to yell out to her, but he was too far away. _

_As the two of them started to gain distance, the last thing May saw was that the rider carrying Max was killed by one of the Hoenn Royal Guard, she sighed with relief, knowing Max was okay for the moment, but she wasn't sure how long he would be okay. She rested against the seat in the carriage and wept, silently, "Max… please… be okay…"_

* * *

Ash exited the restaurant and yawned satisfyingly, "That was some good dinner!" he exclaimed.

"So, Ash-y boy decided to step out of his room." Gary walked up to him with a crowd of women behind him.

"Gary!? What are you doing?" Ash glared at him angrily.

Gary smirked at him, "What do you think Ash? Just having some fun with the locals." Ash steamed at his statement, and sighed defeated, "Why don't I ever get attention like that." Ash said in a defeated tone.

"You're just not skilled enough that's all," Gary shrugged at him, "When you're as good as me everything will go your way." Gary said as he walked away, the crowd of women cheering his name as they followed him. Ash watched him walk away and started back towards his room in the inn.

* * *

Ash stuffed his hands in his pockets, walking home jealously, "Stupid Gary, have to think he's better than everyone else." Ash muttered as he kicked the dirt.

He was always belittled by Gary, being thought as the weaker one. 'I'll show him!' Ash thought clenching his fists. He continued the long walk home with that motivation in mind.

* * *

"I'm back everyone." Ash announced as he opened the door to his room. He found May and his mom already fast asleep. Ash quickly put a hand over his mouth, thinking he spoke too loud.

Before Ash stepped into his room, Oak walked up to him from behind, "Ash, you came home late." Ash sighed and looked back at Oak, nodding, "I'm sorry Oak, I was just wandering around a bit." Ash replied to him.

Oak nodded at him, "I see, well, I just wanted to tell you that we will be leaving tomorrow morning, so be sure to wake up early." Oak turned around and left with that word.

Ash watched him leave and walked into his room, "I'll be sure to do so." He said quietly.

* * *

_The story's starting out a little slow right now, but it will get better soon. I'm having a little bit of writer's block right now, but once I get some real life issues figured out, I'm sure I can get the story on the road again. Read and review please:)_


	7. Ch 6: Rocket Swordsman Assault

_Sorry for the long wait everyone! But I finally got the sixth chapter up! Enjoy!_

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Fire Emblem.

* * *

Jesse 

Class: Myrmidon

Age: 29

James 

Class: Myrmidon

Age: 29

* * *

**Crest of Pokemon**

The mercenaries got on the road towards the capital of Hoenn finally.

May looked up at the sky, "I'll finally get to see my home again." She looked around her at all of the mercenaries that escorted her, "They've all risked their lives to bring me back… I don't know how I can ever thank them enough."

Soon, the sky started to turn dark and it started raining.

May shivered a bit, feeling the cold rain touch her. Ash saw this and draped his cape over her.

"Oh, thank you Ash." May looked over at him, giving him a small smile.

Ash smiled at her, "It's my pleasure princess, don't want to bring you back to Hoenn all soaked." He giggled a bit.

After a few minutes, the rain got a lot harder.

"Damn, we can't be wandering around in this kind of weather." Lance said as he looked around, "What do you think Commander?"

Oak nodded at him, "I have to agree with you Lance, we need to find shelter some how."

Misty shivered a bit, "Y-yeah, I-it's c-cold out h-here.." She blew at her hands a bit to keep them warm.

Brock looked around and saw a nearby fort, "Hey look! Over there!" Brock pointed in the direction of the fort, "We could seek shelter there for a while."

Oak looked over in the direction of the fort and nodded, "Everyone head over to the fort, we'll stay there until the rain lifts up."

* * *

The rain continued to pour harder. Two cloaked figures could be seen standing on a hillside nearby, watching as the mercenaries ran into the fort.

"It seems we've caught them where we wanted them." One of the figures said with a grin.

The other one gave a slight chuckle, "Yes it has. This hunt will be easier than we thought."

Both of them looked back at the army of grunts that assembled before them.

"Let's move out everyone!"

* * *

Oak looked over the rest of the mercenaries, "We should be fine here for awhile."

He took a look outside the window, seeing the rain continue. He let out a deep sigh, "Let's just hope our pursuers don't catch up with us…"

The rest of the mercenaries settled down within the main entrance of the fort to rest.

Gary grunted as he polished his sword, 'Stupid rain, delaying our arrival to Hoenn. The longer we wait here the faster those Rocket people find us.' He sighed.

Tracey walked up to him, "Do you really think that Rocket will catch up with us at this rate Gary?" Tracey asked him.

"They will, knowing their rate. But it doesn't matter much, if they come I'll just cut them all up." Gary spat to the side as he sheathed his sword. "They can't stop me anyway."

Tracey sighed, "You know Gary, that over-confident attitude of yours will get you in trouble some day." Tracey shook his head.

Gary just shrugged, "That's not likely to happen. I'll just deal with what ever problem comes."

Tracey sighed again, "Just don't go too crazy out there, you only have one life you know."

"Tracey's right you know." Brock said as he walked up to the two of them, "A life is precious for us mercenaries, we must not waste it."

"Since when are you two to talk? All of us here want glory don't we? The only way for us to claim it is to show our skill on the field." Gary stated to both of them.

"What does a life mean when there's no glory?" Gary said looking at them.

"You boys shouldn't worry much, I'm here if any of you get injured." Misty said smiling as she walked up to them.

Brock looked over at her, "That's true, but what if the wound is too deep for you to heal?" He asked her.

"That shouldn't be too much of a problem, my magical staves should be able to heal almost any wound that shows up." Misty said smiling at him.

Tracey smiled at her, "It's great to have someone who's able to fix us up in case we get injured too much."

* * *

Ash sat near a window and looked outside at the pouring rain.

He blinked a bit, watching as the endless rainfall fell from the sky, 'We're almost there.' He thought to himself.

'Once the princess is returned to Hoenn, maybe we can resume with our normal lives…' He wondered.

"Hey Ash, what's up?" May walked over to him.

"Oh, hello May." Ash looked up at her smiling, "Just looking outside I guess."

May smiled at him and took a seat across from him, looking out the window, "It sure is raining hard out there."

"Yeah, it is." Ash said, looking out the window, "If it wasn't, I'm sure we'd be in Hoenn sooner."

"Yeah... Oh, thank you for all that you've done so far." May said to him.

Ash looked at her, "Oh, it's nothing really… Just what I have to do." Ash laughed a bit scratching the back of his head.

May smiled at him, "I mean… you've done so much for me, rescuing me from those people chasing me, providing me somewhere to stay, and now escorting me back to Hoenn. It's… I don't know if I can ever repay you…" She looked down.

Ash put a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him, "Don't worry about it May, even though we are soldiers of fortune, I'm only concerned about your safety, you don't need to present me with any reward, just knowing that I saved the life of a royal is good enough for me." He smiled at her reassuringly.

He sat back and looked outside the window, "I like traveling with you like this… I just wonder what will happen once you reach Petalburg City…" He said with a bit of sadness in his voice.

My looked at him with concern, "Oh Ash…"

Suddenly, a loud bang could be heard. "What was that?" Ash said as he got up.

* * *

The rest of the mercenaries gathered together, formulating a plan once they heard the loud sound that emanated throughout the fort.

"Okay, this is what we'll do, Gary, Tracey, and I will go investigate the sound. Ash, I want you and everyone else to stay here with the princess, if we don't come back within an hour, I want you to continue on the road to Petalburg City." Oak said as he motioned for Gary and Tracey to come with him.

"But what about you three?" Ash asked with concern in his voice.

Oak looked back at him before heading farther into the fort, "An order is an order, we'll be fine." With that, he, Gary, and Tracey left the room to find the source of the sound.

Ash grunted and looked over everyone, "I guess we'll hold our position until the Commander gets back."

Lance took a look outside the window, "Hmm, doesn't seem to be anyone outside though… I wonder if there are other entrances to this fort."

"Well, this fort was abandoned long ago, I wouldn't be surprised if treasure hunters came along and pillaged this fort." Brock said as he studied the walls.

Suddenly another loud bang was heard. Ash started to get anxious now.

"I can't wait any longer, I'm going after them!" Ash said as he stood up and secured his sword to his side.

"Wait Ash! The Commander told us to stay here." Misty said to him.

Ash waited for a moment then looked back at them, "Oak said he, Gary, and Tracey will be okay… but we don't know the numbers we're up against, the three of them won't hold out for long. We must go after them." Ash said to them.

The mercenaries paused and thought for a moment, "Let's go after them then," Lance spoke up and looked at Ash, "I'd hate to see the Commander fall at a place like this anyway."

Ash smiled, "Alright then! Let's move out!"

* * *

"Damn! We're cornered!" Lance yelled out as they all backed up against a corner.

"There's way too many of them!" Brock yelled as he blocked an attack. "Is there a something we can do?" He yelled out as he hit one of the grunts back at another.

Ash rushed in and cut down several before him, "We need to get out of here and find Oak quickly! Try to break through!" He yelled out as he cut down another foe.

Lance, Brock, and Ash continued fighting through the ranks while Delia, Misty, and May followed close behind. They continued cutting across the corridors of the fort until they found what seemed to be the way out.

"There! An exit!" Ash yelled as he and the others ran straight for it.

"Not so fast!" Two voices were heard.

Suddenly, two cloaked figures stepped in front of the exit, preventing the mercenaries from escaping.

Ash stopped before them and pointed his sword at them, "Who are you two?"

The two figures let out a small laugh and then threw off their cloaks, revealing a woman with long red hair and a man with medium-length blue hair.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reaches to the stars above."

"Jessie."

"James."

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

With that Jessie pulled out two katanas sheathed at her waist, while James pulled out a long nodachi from his back.

Ash got into a combat stance, "I'll defeat both of you!" He rushed at them and swung his sword at both of them.

Jessie blocked the attack with both of her swords, while James swung his at Ash. Before James could hit Ash, Lance quickly blocked James' attack with his sword.

"It's not fair if two people go against one you know." Lance said as he pushed James away.

James staggered back a bit, "Then we'll have to do away with both of you!" He yelled and swung at Lance.

Lance quickly parried James' attack and kicked him away.

James lost his footing and fell down, "Ow! You'll pay for that!" James grunted as he got back up and ran at Lance once more.

As Lance and James were fighting, Jessie swung both of her swords at Ash in a hammer-like motion. Ash quickly blocked the two swords before they came down on him.

"Why are you guys after May?" Ash questioned her as he pushed her away and lunged at her."

Jessie blocked Ash's attack with one of her swords, "I don't know what the boss has plans for the Princess Hoenn, we just do what he says and get paid!" Jessie said as she pushed Ash away and swung her other sword at him.

Ash wasn't quick enough and Jessie's attack grazed his arm.

"Arghh!" Ash yelled out in pain as he clutched the spot on his arm where he was cut.

"Now to finish you off!" Jessie yelled and ran full speed at Ash, getting ready to attack him with both of her swords.

Brock then jumped in and blocked Jessie's attack with his axe. "You won't hurt Ash!" He yelled and pushed her away.

Jessie staggered back a bit, "So, another twerp wants to play!" She grunted and ran at Brock, unleashing a few furious strikes at him.

Brock held on for a bit longer and then jumped back, getting out of her range.

"Just going to run away are you?" Jessie smirked and was about to attack Brock again but then Ash lunged at her, knocking her down, "You won't hurt anyone!" He yelled as he and Jessie fell down.

Ash quickly got up, breathing in and out heavily, still holding on to his wounded arm.

Jessie got up and put a hand over her stomach where Ash lunged at her. "You brat…" Jessie picked up her swords again, "You'll pay for that!" Before Jessie could attack, a lightning bolt hit her, pushing her back.

"Aahh!" She screamed as she flew back against the wall. "Who do you think you are!?" She recovered from the impact and faced the person.

James hit Lance away and faced the newcomer, "You're intruding on our hunt!" James yelled at him.

"Rest now Ash, Brock, Lance, I'll take it from here." Oak said as he lowered his hand, some smoke still coming from out of it from the lightning bolt he just cast. Gary and Tracey appeared behind him soon after.

"Oak! You're okay!" Ash yelled, still holding on to his wounded arm.

Oak grinned at him then faced Jessie and James, "Grrr… The general didn't say anything about an Arch Sage…" Jessie grunted as she got into a ready stance.

"We should be careful, I heard Arch Sages were strong, no matter where they came from." James said as he too got into a ready stance.

Before any of them could attack, a sword was thrown in the middle of them, halting them from attacking.

"Who is it now!?" Jessie yelled as she looked at the one who threw the sword, once she found out though she immediately backed up in fear.

"I-it's…t-the…Black Demon!" James yelled terrifyingly as he hid behind Jessie.

"Black Demon?" Ash said as he looked over at the man that threw the sword, who was clad in heavy black armor.

The Black Demon looked over at Oak for a moment, then walked up to his sword and pulled it out of the ground, resheathing it, "Withdraw now…" The Black Demon muttered.

Jessie and James were frozen in terror then obeyed, "Yes Black Demon sir!" They sheathed their weapons and ordered everyone to withdraw and leave the fort.

* * *

Once all of the Rocket Mercenaries left the fort, the Black Demon looked over at Oak one more time, then walked away, disappearing into the darkness.

"What was that gramps?" Gary asked Oak.

Oak stood there silent for a moment, then shook his head, "It was nothing… let's all continue on to Hoenn, we still have a little ways to go." Oak said as he started to move out.

Everyone looked at him questioningly for a moment, then just shrugged it off and resumed their journey to the capital of Hoenn.

* * *

The mercenaries left the fort and resumed their journey to Hoenn. The rain stopped by now, so everything was clear.

The group traveled in silence, with the event that happened just a while ago, no one bothered to speak, they all kept their thoughts inside them.

Not long after they started again on the road, they stepped foot on Hoenn.

A guard came up to them, "Halt travelers, where do you hail and what brings you to the kingdom of Hoenn?" The guard asked them.

"We're traveling mercenaries, we've come to escort the Princess Hoenn back to the capital." Oak spoke to the guard.

The guard opened his eyes wide in shock, "The…Princess Hoenn? But we evacuated her and the Prince about four weeks ago, she couldn't have made it back this early." The guard said in disbelief.

May then stepped out and bowed before the guard, "I am Princess Hoenn, these mercenaries took me in and brought me here when my escort was killed in my escape." May said to the guard.

The guard bowed before May once he saw her, "Oh, Princess… excuse me for my rudeness, I will escort you back to the palace in the capital," He then looked over at the mercenaries, "All of you will stay in Littleroot Town until the king says its okay for you to go to the palace."

Oak nodded at the guard, "That is fine with us, we need rest anyway."

May began to walk over to the guard, but then looked back at Ash, "Ash… I'm a little scared… I don't know what my parents will think once I show up… I mean they sent me off so I could be safe… but now I'm coming back… I'm… I'm afraid they might be angry with me…" She looked down at the ground.

Ash walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders, making her look into his eyes, "May, don't worry about it, I'm sure they'll be fine. In fact, they might be glad to see you, knowing that you're alright is probably the only thing important to them." He gave her a reassuring smile.

She smiled back to him, "Thanks Ash, will… you be okay?" She asked him.

Ash nodded at her, "We'll stay in Littleroot Town until we are given permission to enter Petalburg City, the people are probably suspicious of us a bit, but I'm sure everything will be alright." He smiled at her and lowered his arms to his side.

May smiled at him, "Okay, I'll tell dad that you guys escorted me here unharmed once I get to the palace." With that, she left with the guard towards Petalburg City.

* * *

Another guard showed up and escorted the mercenaries to the house they would be staying in Littleroot Town.

The mercenaries retired to their respective rooms in the house and rested.

Ash lay awake for a bit though, for some reason he couldn't sleep.

He turned to the side and closed his eyes, attempting to go to sleep.

Suddenly, he heard something outside.

Ash looked outside the window near his bed and saw Oak leaving the house and heading outside of the town.

'Oak? What are you doing?' Ash wondered. He quickly got dressed and headed out after Oak.

* * *

Done with chapter 6! After this chapter, I think I'm going to write another interlude before starting the 7th chapter. I'll start Support Conversations after the interlude. Read and review please! 


	8. Ch 7, Interlude: Tragedy

_Hi everyone, sorry it took so long for me to update, I had a lot of work to do so I side tracked away from writing for awhile. Special thanks to Kurumi-Chan though for reminding me of what I love to do!_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokemon or Fire Emblem.

* * *

Black Demon

Class: General

Age: ??

**Crest of Pokemon**

"Oak!" Oak looked behind to see Ash running towards him, yelling out his name.

Ash panted as he caught up to Oak. Oak faced him, "Ash, what are you doing up this late?" He asked Ash.

"I couldn't sleep… and I saw you outside, I was just about to ask you the same thing." Ash said to him.

Oak sighed and turned around, "It's nothing… go back to sleep." Oak said and continued walking.

Ash grunted and followed him, "Wait! Oak, what's going on, ever since we had the run in with those swordsman, you've been acting strange." Ash said to him.

Oak looked back at him for a moment and then closed his eyes and continued walking, "Let's go for a little walk then." He motioned Ash to follow.

Ash was shocked for a moment, then nodded and followed him.

The two of them walked in silence for a bit. Every now and then Ash would glance at Oak, wondering why he was acting so strangely. Ash was about to speak up, but then Oak spoke first.

"Ash… do you often wonder where or who your father is?" Oak spoke to him, still walking.

Ash was startled for a moment, at the mention of his father, "I… do… I guess." Ash replied to him, looking down at the ground.

Oak smirked, "What makes you think he isn't dead?" Oak asked him.

"Mom says that even though she didn't see what happen to him, she still believes he's out there somewhere. That's why I'm going to believe that too." Ash said to Oak.

Oak chuckled a bit, "Kids these days, they'll believe anything." He let out a small laugh.

A vein popped on Ash's head and he glared at Oak, "I'm aloud to believe aren't I!?" Ash yelled at Oak.

Oak let out another chuckle, "It's a good quality in you Ash, never let it go." He then stopped walking and turned around to face Ash.

"Listen Ash… I've been meaning to tell you this for quite a while now… But I want you to become the new commander of the Oak Mercenaries once I'm gone." Oak said to Ash.

Ash stepped back a bit in shock, trying to soak in the new information, "M-me… lead the Oak Mercenaries?" Ash paused for a moment to confirm what he just heard, "But… why? What about Gary, or maybe Lance? I mean there are many other people who are probably better at leading a company than me." Ash said, staring at the ground.

Oak stepped up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Listen Ash, I want you to lead the company once I step down, no one else is worthier of the position than you are." He smiled at Ash, "I have lots of trust in you."

Ash looked up at Oak, "Oak…I… I don't know… I don't think I'll ever be ready to take responsibility of a whole company…" He looked down at the ground and sighed.

Oak turned around, "In time you will be ready…" Oak started to walk again then suddenly stopped.

"Ash. I want you to go back to sleep now." Oak said in a commanding tone.

Ash looked at him, "What? But I thought we were going for a walk?"

"Go back to sleep, that's an order." Oak said to him in a harsher tone this time.

Ash sighed and turned around, proceeding back to the gates of Littleroot Town. "Fine…"

Once Oak saw that Ash was nearing the gates, he turned around and continued walking down the path in the forest.

Oak continued to wander farther into the forest until he saw a black silhouette.

"So, you came after all." The black figure spoke to him.

Oak looked up at the black figure, "Some how, I knew you would be waiting for me here." Oak said and drew his sword from its sheathe.

The black figure let out a grunt and drew the sword from its sheathe, "Let's begin shall we?"

With that said, both men charged at each other and their swords clashed.

* * *

Ash looked down at the ground with his hands in his pockets as he walked back to the house that the mercenaries were staying at.

"What was that all about? For some reason he bought up my father, and then he just snapped at me." Ash thought aloud as he was nearing the gates to Littleroot Town.

Ash sighed, "I'll probably never understand what he thinks." Ash sighed again. He was about to step into the gates of Littleroot Town, but then, he suddenly heard metal clashing.

'What was that?' He thought and ran back down the path towards the sound.

* * *

Ash rushed through the forest. As he ran deeper into the forest, he could hear the sound of clashing metal grow louder.

He suddenly stopped and gasped at the sight he saw. Oak was fighting the Black Demon.

Oak fell down as the Black Demon pushed him back. He struggled to get up from the impact.

"Oak!" Ash yelled out and was about to run towards Oak to help him out.

Oak looked over at Ash for a moment, "Ash! Stay back!" Oak commanded him.

Ash stopped dead in his tracks and watched the two of them.

Oak leaned on his sword and stood up, "So this is your power." He finally spoke.

The Black Demon smirked behind his visor, "I have been waiting a long time for this." He said as he tossed his own sword towards Oak.

The sword stuck on to a log that was near Oak. Oak looked at the sword for a brief moment and then looked back at the Black Demon.

The Black Demon drew out another sword from his sheathe and got into a ready stance, "Use the sword, then we will determine which one of us is greater." He said to Oak.

Oak smirked, "That voice… I know it…" Oak thought for a moment, "Ah, I remember now, so it's you." Oak stood up from his kneeled state and readied his sword, "I thought I taught you to be better than this, boy." Oak got ready to charge at the Black Demon, "I don't need your pity, the only weapon I need, is right here." He pointed his sword at the Black Demon then charged at him full speed.

The Black Demon anticipated Oak's attack and parried it, pushing Oak back.

Oak jumped back and skidded on the ground, "Do you actually think you can beat me? The one who taught you how to fight?" He charged towards the Black Demon once more, this time jumping in the air.

Oak dived down at the Black Demon and attempted to strike him, but the Black Demon stepped to the side.

"And now…you die." The Black Demon pulled his sword back and quickly thrust his sword forward, running it right through Oak.

Oak let out a yelp as he felt the Black Demon's sword go through him.

"Oak!" Ash yelled, seeing his mentor injured.

The Black Demon pulled his sword out of Oak and waved it to get rid of the blood that stained the blade.

Oak fell down as the sword was withdrawn from him, giving out a gasp as he hit the ground.

Ash quickly ran to his side and looked him over, "Oak! Oak! No, this isn't happening!" He looked at Oak, seeing him suffer in his final moments.

Ash then glared at the Black Demon, "You…" Ash got up and drew his own sword, quickly charging at the Black Demon.

The Black Demon stuck his sword out to meet Ash's attack, and then threw Ash to the side with a quick wave, "Move it whelp, you're no match for me." The Black Demon grunted.

Ash fell down from the impact and hit a tree nearby, gasping out in pain as he hit the ground.

The Black Demon then set his attention back to Oak, "They say that the dead keep their secrets… But you however, are not dead yet. Tell me, where is it." The Black Demon said to Oak.

Oak held a hand over his wound and looked up at the Black Demon, struggling, "I… don't know what you're talking about… I threw it away."

The Black Demon snorted, "I know you're smarter than that, to throw away such an object of that power," The Black Demon ran a hand across the side of his blade and looked at Ash, "He must be your most favored student. Hmm, let's say you don't tell me, I'll give him the slowest and most painful death he'll ever witness, or maybe I'll just torture him until he can't take it anymore." The Black Demon chuckled as he thought of all these things.

Ash stood up, struggling a bit, "Not… going… to happen!" Ash yelled as he once again charged at the Black Demon.

The Black Demon saw Ash coming and quickly dodged Ash's attack and punched him in the gut.

Ash gasped, feeling his air knocked out of him as he fell to the ground, a hand over his stomach trying to regain his breath.

The Black Demon looked down at Ash and then at Oak, "Maybe I should just finish your faithful student off now…" The Black Demon raised his sword, about to strike down at Ash, but then he heard a loud roar.

The Black Demon looked in the direction of the sound, "It's those damned creatures…" He sighed and sheathed his sword, "I may not have been able to retrieve what I wanted… but soon… soon this world will plunge into chaos…" The Black Demon walked off and then disappeared in a cloud of dust.

Ash got up and looked around, "That sound… where'd it come from…" Ash thought for a moment, but then snapped out of his thoughts remembering Oak's condition.

Ash got to Oak's side and examined him, "Oak… You're okay… r-right?" Ash asked him, fearing the worst.

Oak coughed up some blood, "Ash…" Oak tried to speak.

Ash helped Oak up and aided him back to Littleroot Town, "Don't say anything Oak, just rest."

"Hang on a bit longer Oak. Once we get back to town, we'll have mom fix you back up." Ash said as he held on to Oak.

Oak wasn't doing any better though; the wound that was on his stomach was getting worse.

He palely looked at Ash, "Ash… I want…" Before Oak could say anything else Ash interrupted him, "Don't say anything Oak, its just make you feel worse." Ash said to him, while trying to get him back to the town as fast as possible.

"Forget about revenge… Just… just live…" Oak said, coughing a bit.

"Don't say anything Oak!" Ash yelled at him, a tear falling from his eye, "Just… Just hold on! Everything will be okay!" With that, Ash tried to haul Oak back to the town.

Before he could move any farther, he felt Oak fall, making him fall down as well.

"Ash… my will… goes to you…" With those words, Oak lay lifeless.

Ash looked down at him, "Oak… No, this isn't happening!" Ash yelled.

Ash tried to shake him, "Oak! Oak! Oak!" Tears started to fall from Ash's eyes, "Oak!"

* * *

The sun rose high in the sky. Delia blinked as the morning rays met her.

She sat up on her bed and looked out at the window, she smiled, seeing how a wonderful day it was.

She got out of bed and dressed in her usual attire, and walked downstairs to prepare breakfast for the rest of the mercenaries.

In a matter of minutes, all of them were down in the kitchen eating up, all except Ash and Oak.

"Have any of you seen Ash or the Commander?" Delia asked them.

They all shook their heads. "Last I remember, they were both with us." Brock spoke up.

Delia got a little worried and went upstairs to see if they were there.

Once she got up though, she couldn't find them in their rooms, 'That's funny, they're not here… maybe they just went for a little training.' Delia thought. She shrugged it off and went downstairs to join the rest of the mercenaries.

* * *

The sun was starting to set, and still there was no sign of Ash or Oak. Delia started to worry, 'They've been gone for the whole day… I wonder what happened to them.' Delia thought to herself.

She decided to go out and look for them. She began searching the town, looking around the entire place, but still no sign of them.

Delia was getting tired, so she decided to go rest at the local tavern for a bit.

She slumped down on her chair and sighed heavily, 'Where could they be..?' She wondered to herself. She knew Ash and Oak trained hard and for long hours at times, but they would usually take breaks often and sometimes include others in their training sessions.

"Evening ma'm, what would you like?" the bartender said to her as he was cleaning a beer mug.

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you though." Delia said, sighing a bit, "Have you seen a boy dressed in blue with a red cape and a man with a long white cloak around?" She asked the bartender.

The bartender thought for a bit, "Come to think of it, I did see a boy and an old man last night. When I saw them they were leaving the town towards the main gate. They left really late at night though, not sure why." He said, putting the mug that he was cleaning aside.

Delia got up from her chair, "Thank you for the information sir." She bowed before him and left the tavern, heading towards the main gate that lead out of the town. 'I wonder what they were doing that late last night...'

* * *

She checked the outskirts of the town, but she still couldn't find either trace of Ash or Oak. She continued to search the area and eventually searched the forest. There still wasn't any sign of the two though.

'Could they have left somewhere? No, they would never leave us behind.' She thought to herself. Suddenly she noticed a faint trail of blood. 'What...What is this?' She wondered, looking down at the trail of blood. The blood seemed to be dried though, so she knew what ever happened here, it happened awhile ago.

She followed the trail of blood until it lead to an opening in the forest that lead to an ocean-view cliff.

A figure was standing at the edge of the cliff, looking out towards the ocean, and next to it was a sword stuck to the ground, with a long white cloak tied to the handle. Delia quickly recognized the figure to be Ash, and the sword next to him to be Oak's.

"Ash, what happened here?" Delia asked in a slightly panicked voice as she ran up to him. Ash just stood there, a faint tear falling from his eye. "M-mom..." He turned around, looking down at the ground so she couldn't see his tear-stained face. "I...I was too weak..." Ash fell to his knees, grasping the grass with his hands.

"What do you mean? Where's Oak?" She said, kneeling down so she was leveled with him. "Oak was killed! And it was all my fault! I couldn't protect him!" Ash yelled frenzily, as more tears started to fall from his eyes.

Delia was shocked to hear this, "Oak...dead...?" She could barely speak, since the reality of what Ash said to her was almost unbelievable. "I couldn't save him... I-I w-was...too weak..." Ash broke into more sobs.

Delia wrapped her arms around him, cradling him lightly in her arms, "Don't put too much blame on yourself honey.." Delia spoke softly to him.

Ash continued to cry, sobbing heavily as he leaned against her embrace, "I-If only... I-I w-was stronger...I w-would've been able to h-help Oak beat him..."

She closed her eyes, as a small tear fell, "Where ever Oak is...I'm sure he's still proud of you, even though you weren't able to save him." She said softly, trying to reassure him. "It would pain him to see you grieving over his loss like this..."

Ash slowly lifted his head, looking up at her, "B-But...I c-can't h-help it..." He looked down again, a few tears falling from his face.

"Oak once told me that you were like a son to him. He loved you as his own." Delia told him, "He also told me that if something were to happen to him, you would be the one to lead the company in his stead."

"I don't...know if I can...I mean I'm still a novice..." Ash said quietly, still looking at the ground.

Delia patted his head lightly, comforting him, "Oak believes in you, and so do I. I'm sure the rest of the others will be willing to accept you as their leader also."

Ash sat there for a moment, thinking about what his mom told him, "You're right..." Ash then stood up and turned around, facing back towards the ocean, "I'll take my responsibility as the leader of the Oak Mercenaries, and I vow to be the best swordsman ever!" He yelled to the open sea triumphantly.

Delia smiled at him, seeing him finally regain his hopes, 'If only...your father could see you now...' she thought to herself, a faint tear falling from her face.

* * *

"This is bullshit!" Gary yelled from within his quarters as he started packing up.

"Gary what's the matter?" Tracey said, as he watched Gary pack up his things.

"I should be the new leader, not Ash-y boy!" Gary slammed his fist on a near by table, making the whole room seem to shake, "I'm going to leave, this company's going downhill if Ash-y's leading it." He said angrily.

Tracey gasped a bit, "You know how dangerous it is out there, now that the company is having problems with the Rockets and everything. If they see you then they'll surely try to kill you." Tracey said to him.

Gary shrugged, "They won't even be able to lay a finger on me, I'm the best out there, I'll just kill them if they even try to approach me." Gary said.

Tracey sighed, "Well...if you say it that way," Tracey picked up his bow and quiver and secured them to his back, "I'll leave the company with you then, someone'll need to keep an eye on you."

Gary lifted his pack over his shoulder and secured the sword at his waist, "Suit yourself then." With that, the two left the area.

* * *

_I hoped you all liked this chapter, again sorry for the long delay. Now, for what everyone is waiting for, the Support Conversations! Just a refresher for those of you who don't know what they are, Support Conversations reveal more about the characters and what their relationships are with other characters. How this is going to work is at the end of every chapter, I'm going to list which characters can support with each other. Each character can only be supported once each time though. In your reviews, choose which characters you would like to see supported with each other and at the beginning of every new chapter I'm going to write down what they say. I'm going to give at least a week max to see how many people choose which Supports. If I get a lot earlier than I'll post up a new chapter earlier. If I don't get enough people choosing then there will be no support for that chapter. Also a note, some supports will determine pairings, Advanceshpping will stay the main pairing though. I hope you all will like this! Read and Review please :)_

**Supports:**

Ash - Brock, Misty, Lance, Delia

Brock - Ash, Misty, Delia

Misty - Ash, Brock, Delia

Delia - Ash, Brock, Misty, Lance

Lance - Ash, Delia


End file.
